Babymaking for Beginners
by layniebleargh
Summary: Neji is planning to start a family. He knows how to make a baby. But baby-making isn't as simple as he thinks it is.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

-.-

How to make a baby? It is a subject that is almost never breached, and when talked about, is seldom detailed and straightforward. Usually, vague terms are involved such as 'flower', 'pussy', 'core', 'tool', 'manhood', and 'pride' such that save for those who are either rather curious, porn-familiar, or friends with 'knowledgeable' and/or experienced people, one would not really know how sexual intercourse happens and what is its real relationship with reproduction and human needs.

Neji Hyuuga, age twenty six and a steadfast member of a naturally quiet, career-driven, nearly archaic clan knows almost naught about making a baby except for two bits of information: a baby is created either through sex or through meticulous science. Although male - the sex which has almost no biological clock limit in terms of reproduction - the continuously increasing risk of death with each new mission of a rare thick-blooded Hyuuga prodigy - Neji himself - puts a great deal of pressure on the young man to beget a child for the clan and for the village. For such purpose (and of course, after thinking the pros and cons thoroughly), the white-eyed genius decides to start a family after he had a narrow escape from death in his most recent S-class mission. The only problem now, at the moment, is finding a suitable wife.

- _for him_ -

Neji, in general, is not fond of females - he does not dislike the particular population, but neither does he like them. When he was a young adolescent, he used to look down on them: civilians were worth no amount of attention; wealthy female clients requested useless missions such as finding a lost cat and were only good for missions of the weak ninjas; girl ninjas were too centered on appearance and paid more attention to vanity than to survival; and women ninjas - there were just a few of them compared to the males - were a drag to their male counterparts. Fortunately enough, he learned to respect a few select female figures in his life as missions and daily encounters widened his perspective considerably; and before long he became neutral in his views (if one girl is just too vain, that does not mean that all girls are inherently vain). For a wife, however, he would want someone with more than his respect, thus the list of tolerable wife-candidates is already really, really short. But what, exactly, are Neji's criteria?

While the young man is not looking for romance, he desires a good companion to have for the rest of his - or her - life (he might as well enjoy marriage, although he is going through it mainly for obligation, right?). The good companion he has in mind is someone who understands enough of what being a ninja means so that she would not whine when he is not around during missions; an independent woman who can act on her own but knows when to heed another's opinion or advice; a person who is capable of taking care of and protecting a dependent child or children; and someone who could be accepted by the people he respect and the people he love. Someone he is comfortable to have so near, someone he would not mind lowering his defenses for.

For some time, Neji Hyuuga pondered on his very short list of wife-candidates. Days, weeks, and months passed, and then suddenly, during one of his missions - when the sun's first rays for the day hit the horizon, signaling that his long guard duty is almost over, and the chilly night air begins to regain its daytime warmth - he found a certain peace between him and his mission partner and thought that this companionship is the one he would not mind to have forever - and thus with the utmost certainty, the firmest resolve, and a brief skip of his heart - he turned to his partner and uttered the words that in the silence of dawn could never be misheard and taken back:

"Would you like me as your husband, Tenten?"

- _for her_ -

_"Would you like me as your husband, Tenten?__  
><em>  
>Tenten, who has not slept a wink in the past twenty four hours, almost thought that she was just dreaming. Neji does not, at least normally, shoot questions pertaining very personal opinions and relationships as if they are merely everyday conversation topics. The young woman could not tell whether the question is hypothetical or - dare she let her mind wander - a serious proposal, and she spent some time openly gaping at her partner's perfectly sober face before trying to formulate an appropriate answer.<p>

In her humble opinion, Neji is quite a desirable husband - he would be able to provide a sense of security to his family, a definite plus point in many women's 'checklist'; he is a very responsible person who never neglects his duties and even goes out of his way to exceed one's expectations; he is hygienic and his manners are well-polished, his tact a lot better than most men; and if one wants to go for looks, he - with that aristocratic, straight nose and well-defined, masculine jawline; not to mention the pair of eyebrows that arches so smoothly on his fair face, plus the pale gray shade of his eyes that is both cool and mysterious - is among the best looking males in Konoha. What is there to say 'no' for?

Tenten actually likes Neji enough to want him as her husband. She may not be in-love, but she is one of the most realistic among her female peers and she knows marriage may not be necessarily lovey-dovey. What she is not sure of, rather, is whether a husband - Neji Hyuuga or possibly someone else - would not hinder her dream of being a great female ninja. She has no qualms about marrying relatively early in her ninja career (these days most ninjas marry in their thirties) nor bearing a child or children (Konoha needs to sustain a good amount of population, and she considers it a duty to ensure that the hidden village would indeed have a next generation), but if a child is desired so soon or too often... she may not have the time to sharpen her skills as a ninja. After a bit more mental work, Tenten concludes that she needs to sort things out little by little to come up with a proper, solid, 'yes' or 'no' answer. She does not like returning questions, but to tackle a tiny bit of concern first...

"And you, would you like me as your wife?"

There was a short pause, whence Tenten shifted uncomfortably under Neji's calculating gaze, and then:

"Yes."

"Then let us discuss what changes a union between us would bring and if we are both agreeable to them, then consider my answer a 'yes'."

-.-

After the mission, when they were properly rested and fed, Neji and Tenten spent a good long while in a local secluded spot in Konoha discussing, and at certain points bargaining, the terms of their marriage (if there would be one between them, that is, provided they would agree to a lone set of terms). In the end, they both agreed on the following set of 'rules':

1. No extramarital affairs.

2. No important decision that would affect both of them should be made without having both of their agreement on it.

3. Respect each other's privacy.

4. One should not force the other to change a long-standing habit or interest.

5. Share household expenses according to who consumed how much.

6. Both would work in the fields they have chosen. No butting in, just give support to another. For objections, suggest or persuade - no forcing against will.

7. Respect each other's family.

8. Allow one another personal time alone.

9. Share household duties equally.

10. Terms of marriage subject to change every year, with each wedding anniversary, upon agreement of both parties.

Neji and Tenten signed two copies of their marriage terms with one copy for each to keep and hide from his or her family, friends, and acquaintances (in other words, only the two of them should know about it). They shook hands and parted ways for the time being (for soon there would be the meet-the-parents/relatives, the engagement, the wedding preparations, and then the ceremony itself and from then on they would be together); with Neji content on having his wife-problem solved and Tenten quite happy on finding a life-companion who agreed not to hinder her beloved career and ambition.


	2. Chapter 1: First Night

**Chapter 1: First Night**

- _for him -_

"Are we going to do it tonight?"

"Do what?"

"Have sex."

Neji looked up from the suitcase he is currently unpacking, meeting Tenten's eyes squarely across the room.

Still in her reception party clothes, an elaborate Hyuuga kimono, with her hair and face lightly made up early that morning, Tenten looks like a fine Japanese doll more than anything else. Although trying to seem calm and casual, Neji could see her fingers fidgeting a bit on her lap, a sign of nervousness, and he had to give props to her for keeping her cool throughout the past few weeks' formalities - family gatherings, engagement party, reception preparations - plus the stiff wedding ceremony earlier and the rather long after-party. Deciding to spare her embarrassment and cut her slack for enduring the Hyuuga wedding traditions, Neji gave her the absolute choice this time.

"Sex... should be a mutual choice. Our contract, remember? We would only do it if both of us want to."

"So we don't have to immediately consummate the marriage?"

Neji smiled at that. So Tenten thinks that way, with all the traditional stuff going on. She must have been anxious to know the answer to the question the whole time, as they avoided the subject beforehand. Now could be the right time to talk things out, for the next time either of them may be too embarrassed to broach the topic as clearly and directly.

"Yes."

Tenten seemed delighted at the news, relief evident on her face at the confirmation. From her reaction, though, Neji had to summon some courage to continue speaking while feeling blood rush to his ears, positive his face is flushed pink as he uttered the next words:

"But if possible... that is, I hope you would agree... I would like a child in a year or two. And I read that some couples are not so lucky to conceive right away, so we may have to start trying as soon as possible... that is, if you would like to..."

Neji is sure his face is burning at that moment. Coming across Tenten's underwear in the suitcase did not help, knowing that if she is agreeable they would be most intimate within a few months... And he is reminded so solidly, actually realized without others' pressure and the goal of having an offspring in mind, that he and Tenten are already married, that he is Tenten's husband and she is his wife. They are not just friends anymore, but partners for life.

He gazed at Tenten and saw his wife for the first time.

- _for her_ -

She did not mean to be so blunt, it just came out that way. Tenten is aware they did not discuss sex at all until the word blurted out of her mouth, and she is relieved they did. Neji is more of a friend than a man nor a husband to her at the moment, and she would feel awkward baring all of herself - physically and emotionally - just yet. Maybe, in the future...

And she is anxious about sex itself. She only knows it in medical terms, and to think of actually doing it... she feels so exposed just trying to visualize herself, and there are many things she know of that could go wrong.

What if Neji finds her body unsatisfactory that he would feel no desire to do the act with her? What if she is not yet ready? What if she dislikes the whole thing, or Neji does, would they be able to do it again? How awkward would it be trying to start having sex when she has nil experience?

An unpleasant thought suddenly struck her. She trusts Neji, but she could not just rule out the possibility hearing from many others that men are more sexually adventurous than females...

What if Neji already had someone, and finds her not good enough, and leave her for another? What if Neji expects a lot from her, how would she do things she does not even really know of? What if one of them has an undiagnosed or secret disease that could be transmitted sexually?

There are more questions swarming in Tenten's head, but she wants to trust Neji above all the doubts. Neji is an honorable man, as far as she knows, and she realized that with another man she would feel a lot more uncomfortable and anxious than with this man sharing the room with her, this man who is unpacking her things for her and helping her adjust to her new home, this man who she just wed that day, this man who is so adorably embarrassed stating a request he has the right to bring forth.

Tenten reflects on the past few weeks and she has to admit that she has never seen Neji more human and more beautiful than before. Neji bowing to her father, then greeting her relatives most politely, Neji never leaving her side throughout her formal meeting with his family, Neji offering to shoulder the arrangement of the wedding and reception garments, Neji making sure she has a week off mission before their wedding day, and now Neji still giving her the choice albeit all the pressure to beget a child. She is positive that Neji could persuade her even if she is totally against the idea, but he didn't, he wants to hold out against the expectations from him as long as he could if she so desires.

One to two years... in two years, she would be twenty seven, going twenty eight shortly. At that age, childbearing would become less and less ideal the older she becomes, if the books she read are correct... maybe she could abandon herself now to the possibility of being more intimate than ever and starting a family. The two of them are already husband and wife, after all, and she could now see how ridiculous it is that they could not work up enough courage to let their marriage grow. It is hard seeing herself uniting with her long-time friend, but perhaps they could work it out, a little at a time...

"Could you kiss me everyday, Neji? From there, maybe we could go further more each time."

- _for him_ -

It is a consent that she gave, the agreement better than he hoped. He has never been physically close to females outside missions, and he is particular in giving the population as much personal space as he himself preferred. Standing up from where he is kneeling near the wardrobe and Tenten's suitcase, he is suddenly extremely aware how much warmer the room has become since a few minutes ago. And this is saying something, as the night is continuously getting deeper, the temperature steadily going down till the first ray of sun.

He is in front of Tenten, and there is nothing else he could see now except her face. His heart is beating ridiculously fast, and he could already see the tiny glints of amber-like flecks in her eyes, a color he noted in his subconscious as more fetching than any he has seen, and his eyes went down from her eyes, to her nose, and finally to her lips, where it stayed a good long while before he leaned down.

Their breaths mingled for a moment - it was hot, and a bit uncomfortable - then lips touched lips, a brief softness, then cold air once again.

- _for her_ -

Tenten allowed herself the grace to blush a furious shade of red. The kiss seemed both too short and too long, and she could not make up her mind how much she liked it or not. One thing is for certain: Neji's lips are softer than they looked. She blushed again, not looking at Neji anymore, or anything in particular.

After a short, awkward silence, she excused herself and left the room quietly, deciding to take a bath to refresh herself... and to cool off.

- _. -_

Nothing much happened for the rest of the night, except that Neji refused to ask Tenten where he should put her underwear until Tenten was already dozing off in bed and he had not even moved from his position near the wardrobe nor taken a bath. Tenten lectured him a bit on asking early on to save time and he is bound to see her underwear sometime in their marriage so he should not be shy in handling them as she promised not to be shy if ever she needs to wash his underwear. They soon fell asleep, unused to sharing the same bed and comforter at the same time, but nevertheless feeling comfortably warm next to each other. When they woke up in the morning and went out of their living quarters in the Hyuuga compound for breakfast, they startled Hinata into a tomato-red shade upon appearing with disheveled clothes; Neji revealing some considerable part of his chest and Tenten failing to tighten her Hyuuga robes around the breast showing an ample amount of flesh. Hinata, knowing that her cousin and Tenten are newly-wed, let her mind wander for a second on what they could have been doing all night - causing her to come up with an image that Neji and Tenten definitely do not have on their mind yet. Neji and Tenten usually woke up good to go out, but apparently sharing a bed changes their sleeping positions more than they expected. Promptly straightening themselves with a fair pinkness on their cheeks, they started adjusting to living as a couple and not as singles anymore.


	3. Chapter 2: Money and Laundry

**Chapter 2: Money and Laundry**

- . -**  
><strong>

The bad thing about paying for expenses in credit is that you would not really feel the amount of what you are purchasing till a later date. You may also be entertained by buying without immediately paying, and would end up getting more than what you really wanted or needed. Money, as it is, is one of the major problems of most individuals especially when debt is involved. It is not unknown that money is also a major cause of conflict between couples.

- _for her_-

Tenten stared at the bill with both amazement and disbelief. She knew that she should expect something expensive to wound up; but not as costly as the plain, troublesome letter stated.

"Half a million ryo? How come?"

"The breakdown is indicated, Tenten."

"But half a million ryo? All in one day?"

Neji sighed but did not look up from the pot of boiling miso he is watching.

"If you want, I would shoulder sixty percent of the bill -"

"But it is our wedding and reception we are talking about so we should split it in half!"

Tenten has the means to pay, even the full amount, but she is reluctant to part with her cash. True - the kimonos and dresses were of good quality, the ceremonial tea and sake certainly not cheap, and the food was more than edible - but she somehow has the feeling that the bill could have been cheaper than what it is, even by at least five percent. She knows, though, that she would never allow Neji to pay more than half as it would be unfair.

Neji hesitated with his next statement.

"Is it... that you do not have the necessary amount?"

"I do, but when I think of what else I could buy... weapons, three month's worth of food, medical supplies..."

"Do you regret spending on the wedding day, and would rather put your money elsewhere?"

"It is not like that, just being practical -"

"But it remains that you are disappointed about the wedding affair -"

"Well, sorry for trusting that you would be sensitive enough to get better deals for the money that doesn't just drop at my doorstep."

Neji turned off the stove and not-so-gently set the soup down the table.

"I know that as well as you do - my mistake was just thinking you might consider the occasion worth it."

Tenten looked up from the bill and saw that somehow, she caused offense.

- _for him_-

Neji never had a money-related problem, having inherited well from his father and lately earning five to six digits in missions. He could see where Tenten is coming from, being one of the more practical females he know, but he could not see why she makes such a big deal over a matter she could easily let him take care of. There is no undoing what was spent, so if she has an issue doling out half the indicated price he is more than willing to give a bit more of his fortune. Does Tenten not want any of his good intentions? Do they have to split all expenses in half? Could he not give if he wants to? Although there is no relationship between wedding and marriage, he feels as if she regrets getting married to him.

Tenten squirmed uncomfortably in her seat under his gaze.

"I just do not want to be a burden, Neji. I do not want to become some housewife depending on her husband's income. I want to stand my own in this marriage, and for me to do that I need to be practical and heed my needs over my wants. I would have been content too with a less extravagant wedding and a smaller reception party."

Neji felt frustration drain from his body. He took his seat gently across his wife and shot her what he hopes to be an apologetic look.

"You were never a burden to me. And I doubt you would be. If you could still do something for me, even if you do become some housewife, I would be happy."

"Sorry. But next time, let us discuss our purchases more clearly and calmly. And this one's a fifty-fifty payment for both of us, please."

"Alright. And... I apologize, as well."

Neji has a feeling that being married would help them both grow, and that he would be uttering more apologies in the near future than the amount he uttered till now. He currently thinks, though, that he does not mind doing so and that enjoying a peaceful dinner with Tenten is something he might grow fond of.

- . -

Some ninja missions are too easy, some require no going out at all, some even happen in libraries and laboratories that for a good, sturdy, experienced ninja it would be a laugh to get dirty doing those. There are some, though, that would require a miracle of some form to finish without a nice crimson spray of blood on an otherwise clean shirt or mud annoyingly wetting sore bottoms or very fine sand somehow stuck to undergarments and private parts.

Washing mission clothes is a pain in the ass if there are such difficult stains on, especially when given the chance to dry up on the way back home. Unfortunately for a very physical ninja like Tenten, literally dirty missions consist of seventy to ninety percent of the work load.

- _for him_-

Neji is a very clean and neat fighter. His techniques allow little to no blood in defenses and attacks and his bloodline limit, byakugan, allows him to avoid unnecessary troubles in both nature and man. He returns from missions with minimal mess, and if he ever has to deal with dirt, gore, and grime he has the liberty to dispose his garments and just have new ones made or bought.

He is therefore surprised to find Tenten, among all the places he searched upon hearing her return from a rather difficult A-rank mission, bent over a washtub in their bathroom surrounded by blood-red bubbles and dressed only in her undergarments.

He continued to stare for three seconds before being forced out by a very red Tenten.

_- . _-

"If you do not want me walking on you, you should've locked the door in the first place."

"You were supposed to be training with Lee till night."

"He was sent off to a mission."

"Oh."

An awkward silence ensues save for the steady chop-chop-chopping with a knife Tenten does preparing fried rice.

"Do you not want a new set of clothes instead of washing away laboriously?"

"I only get a new set when I could not get the old one stain-free."

"Then could I already dispose of that dried up thing last week?"

"What thing?"

"The one with the blood-stain left on your shirt. You got a new set for that."

"I am planning to use that to wrap my weapons."

"Our place might get very messy at no time in this rate -"

"Fine, fine. Do what you want with it. But I'm going to continue washing all my mission clothes."

"You use the laundry room next time, there are washing machines as well, save time -"

"I can't. I have to do it at home."

Neji shot her a questioning look, urging her to go on, ignoring the blossoming pink flush across her cheeks.

"I like doing my laundry with as little clothing on as possible. I always end up wetting myself, and I don't like wetting clothes only to wash them again. So unless you're fine with me doing my thing in the clan's laundry area -"

"Alright, alright. But I am going to give you a washing machine, so that you can start cooking on-time unlike today, and do lock the door next time."

When Tenten finally laid their late lunch on the table, Neji couldn't help - for a split second - but imagine the image of the woman across him bending over a washtub in mere undergarments; to which he blushed furiously and avoided the curious look of his wife. He doesn't know if his sharp eyes and attention to details are good or not, but knowing that Tenten is his wife and that he may look at her like how he avoided looking at women before in such a different way makes him nervous if he is somehow turning into a disgraceful pervert despite his will not to.

A seat across, Tenten is mortified to realize how she would like Neji to admire her body and wonders what would have happened if she did not drive him out of the bathroom. Fanning herself, she is surprised that Neji is as out-of-sorts as she is with what she learned to read as a plain-embarrassed look, both of them avoiding catching the other's eye but failing to do so.


	4. Chapter 3: Getting Serious

**Chapter 3: Getting Serious  
><strong>  
>- <em>.<em>-

So much for kissing everyday (save for the times their schedules just won't permit), there wasn't a step up even in the tiniest amount of intensity between Neji and Tenten. All brief close-mouthed kisses; it seems like the couple won't go anywhere in a million years in that rate. Thankfully, there are certain unplanned happenings that might catch them off-guard and cause fluctuations which may hopefully push them in the right direction.

The first one arrived on an unexpectedly stormy December afternoon.

- _for her_-

Tenten grumbled to herself about bad weather and cumbersome missions as she ungracefully entered the Hyuuga compound. She is sore, drained, soaked, and downright cross that when Hanabi saw her leaving a trail of water droplets on the hallway floorboards the young Hyuuga chose to say nothing. Her mood getting darker still as she worries about her weapons, rust, and laundry, Tenten opened her living quarters' door with a bang, not caring if she breaks the antique panel of wood or not.

She is jerked off her bad mood momentarily upon literally walking onto the still-dry Neji, who is unmistakably clad in mission clothes. As far as Tenten remembers, his scheduled mission is in three days; he is supposed to be resting and preparing at the moment, not dressed to leave the house. The mission is an A and unless it has been raised to an S, called off, or something more important came up, there is no reason for an earlier departure for Neji. Tenten felt apprehension at the unexpected change in schedule.

"Is the mission plan changed?"

"No, it is a new one - emergency S - and I won't be back for at least three weeks."

Neji looked at her as if debating on something - she couldn't tell what, his face betrayed no information - but in a moment it seems like he has made a decision, his eyes glinting assuredly in the semi-darkness similar to when he proposed to her in a mission long ago. It is a look that gives her goosebumps all over the body, a look giving her the hunch that she is being seen in an entirely new way. When Neji spoke, it was in the same quiet voice that spoke volumes more than the words imply; a low baritone that goes from her ears straight to her heart and mind:

"Look, I'm in a hurry now, and I won't be seeing you for a long time, it may be sudden -"

He interrupted himself, brought their bodies together, and leaned down to close the little gap between them. His arms wrapped themselves tightly around her torso - a pleasant feeling, a protective gesture - and in the sudden warmth Tenten is only vaguely aware that she is drenching Neji even before he stepped into the downpour outside. Taken into the moment, she leaned more into the kiss, pressing herself against her husband more, her weight on tiptoes.

When they broke apart they were breathless, flushed, with wet clothes clinging to them like second skin.

"I will be waiting, Neji."

"Thank you."

He smiled at her tenderly before disappearing into the stormy weather, leaving her previously dark thoughts in marginally good spirits. Tenten grinned amidst the gloominess around her, feeling every bit like a newly-wed wife, until a clap of thunder and flash of lightning woke her up rudely to reality.

A bad weather. A sudden high-ranked mission. A normally passive husband deciding to take a step forward out of the blue.

At the realization of the situation, Tenten cannot help but worry. She trusts Neji, she believes in his skills, but the higher the mission ranks are the less one knows what would happen. She has known him all her life, and is just beginning to know more about him than anyone else, and if something undesirable happens... if the passion she felt in the kiss is an indication to a possible farewell... no, no, she must not think that way. She never thought so negatively before, self-assured that Neji would always come home safe, so why start thinking of possibilities when she has no hand in what the next moment might bring? All she could do is wait, hope, and stay safe herself. Neji never failed her before.

But try as she might, weapons, rust, and laundry are last in her mind as a tiny voice at the back of her head kept reminding that there could always be a first time. Feeling a bit faint knowing that an important person is braving the torrential, cold downpour outside, she allowed herself to gently close the door and lean her forehead against its cool surface. She should reign control over herself for three weeks. Then, if Neji is not back yet, maybe she could allow her emotions to slip. For now, though, she should take courage and be strong; as a friend and as a wife.

It is Neji's first S-class mission since they were married; the first S-class mission - a lengthy one as well - that Tenten felt anxious of.

Tenten breathes deeply her husband's lingering smell and takes her surroundings in; burning everything in her memory.

- . -

Marriage is not just made up of husband, wife, and possibly children - there are in-laws as well, whether biological or honorary. That is the general case at least, given that the couple did not have the runaway drama or something similarly tragic (or fortunate, depending on how the particular case is).

In being a part of the Hyuuga clan, getting along with in-laws is a basic survival instinct. In-laws can make life easier for you, but they can also make marriage hell between you and your partner. Luckily for Tenten, she gets along fine with the rigid, strict, powerful clan since her genin days, having spent an occasion or two with a handful of members in the past. Recently though, aside from the wedding ceremony and reception party, she seldom sees and interacts with her new family.

- _for her_ -

Without Neji around and missions coming few and easy, Tenten is bored (although bordering anxious as the marked day on the calendar approaches) and left mulling over thoughts she never paid much attention to before - like how come she rarely chances upon anyone on the clan's breakfast buffet every weekend. She is therefore startled to find Hanabi deliberately joining her in a corner table while she is munching thoughtfully on her pancakes.

The clear, smooth voice that cut through the air is expected but surprisingly, honestly, innocent.

"I haven't seen Neji-nii much lately."

"He has a mission."

"It's not that. I haven't seen him much since he married you."

Tenten did not know whether to take offense to the statement or not, having been delivered in such a neutral tone.

"Is that a bad thing?"

She surveyed the girl - no, young woman now - in front of her, waiting for a response. It is no secret to her that among his relatives Neji is closest to Hanabi; he has been tagging her along whenever appropriate in the past. Tenten had the opportunity to socialize with the young girl then and was able to notice how her quietness and confidence were very similar to her older cousin. Personally, she likes Hanabi as well; the younger woman's opinions would count heavily among other Hyuuga relatives.

The response was short and curious.

"No. I think he looks happier every rare chance I see him now."

"How can you tell his degree of happiness? Telling that he's happy is a challenge enough."

"I love him, then I know."

Tenten might have reacted at the answer strangely, for Hanabi gave her a curious look, as if realizing something in passing. She could swear the young Hyuuga almost laughed, mirth evidently dancing in the pale gray eyes.

"I see."

"What?"

"I'll tell you, when I think it's safe."

Tenten gazed at the young woman in front of her, wondering what she just saw in her. Hanabi, now twenty, is a picture of beauty and strength; a very reliable Hyuuga leader in the future. But somehow, seeing her more in traditional clan garments than mission clothes makes the image a bit lonely, detached - the amusement in her eyes genuine but does not wrinkle the face, unlike what is common in every good fun (when sometimes eyes even disappear into mere lines and merry tears may also come out). It is a wonder if she gets out much at all, save for the times she is accompanied by her father. She seems more isolated than the rest of the clan members; closely monitored at an early age, reared to handle issues from everyday needs of every household in the compound to complicated ones involving several relations with powerful people - all because she was deemed more capable than the supposed heir. Tenten wondered if Hanabi was given a choice, if the young woman would really rather be doing politics, business, and economics than going out in missions like most ninja her age; if Neji knew, and if that was why he never took out his hatred and frustrations on the younger main house member like he once did on Hinata.

Tenten's mind reels at finally seeing this sad, ancient history of such a revered clan; of seeing how much sacrifice should be made to support the foundations that could crumble with just one strong defiance left unguarded. Hanabi, Hiashi, and the previous main house leaders - how many of them could have wanted a more ordinary life? The countless branch house members who lived and died for the main house members they were branded to serve - how many could have lived a freer life? And the overlooked Hinata - it must have been hard to be born in a position she never wanted in the first place.

When Tenten first heard of the secret affairs beneath the unshakable exterior from Neji in their genin days she could only show a determined outlook and a hope for change within the system; but belonging to the clan herself makes the situation different. For the first time, Tenten feels that she really has become a Hyuuga; that she is currently sitting across her future superior for the breakfast everyone in the compound works hard for. And while everything in her eyes just became a shade of gray, Tenten is determined to give this family - her family - some love deserved.

"Would you like me to accompany you for the whole day, Hanabi?"

"I am grateful. Would you mind taking a trip to the Hyuuga armory?"

Tenten grinned as if she just struck gold, easing Hanabi into a smile.

"I would love to."

- _for him_ -

Neji laid flat on his back as he observed the night sky; sleep not yet capturing him as he just got off watch duty three minutes ago. The outdoor air is cold and harsh, stinging his exposed skin raw, a stark contrast to the comfortably warm bed at home since Tenten started living with him. He closed his eyes, willing sleep to overtake him, but his mind could not help but think of home.

Funny, he never missed home before. Not since his father passed away and there was no one to return to anymore in the spacious living quarters three people used to occupy. Those were happy days; when his mother was still well and he could listen to her beautiful strong voice as she told him great stories of ninja adventures; when his father was alive and could still laugh and would teach him how to fight and be a man.

Neji almost forgot how it feels to have someone welcome him home. Almost. Until Tenten agreed to live with him and be a Hyuuga, and made herself home with a washtub in the bathroom, another closet filled, and a spare room made into a weapons storage. Before he knew it, he became used to sleeping in a warm bed, being cooked for and cooking for two, and living in a space that doesn't seem empty anymore. He wondered when he could see Tenten again, and had to punch himself lightly for allowing his thoughts to stray in an S-class mission.

He cast a glance at his watch reliever, making sure that the ninja is awake and doing his job properly, before drifting into a light, dreamless sleep.

- . -

Neji returned from the mission a day and a half delayed, sporting a fractured and wounded leg but otherwise relatively unscathed. When the hospital finally had a look at him he was ordered on a week's worth of bed rest, with Tenten on temporary leave to assist him - he tried to argue against it but failed when he recalled the embarrassment of being support-carried by a teammate on the way home (he absolutely refused a piggyback); he would rather have his wife to see his embarrassment than any other person.

And while Neji was pretty sure that he preferred initiating and controlling kisses a few weeks before, when he kissed his wife thoroughly before leaving, he is not so sure now when Tenten has become so bold and somehow - dare he say it - alluring; crawling on their bed to reach him (though she is careful to avoid his bad leg) and when she does she kisses him with much more emotion and tenderness than before.

Tenten, meanwhile, enjoys taking care of Neji. She does not mind doing all the household chores for the moment (those are still easier than most missions) and she likes seeing her husband tucked on bed struggling to do any kind of training he could manage - mostly reading mission profiles, reports, and ninja scrolls and books.

When evening comes, Tenten would offer Neji a massage here and there - at the spots sore from the lack of motion on bed - and Neji would concentrate on the sensual relaxation being graciously provided to him while Tenten would marvel at how lithe and strong the muscles beneath her fingers are. At times, both notice an invisible but undeniable tension between them that was not there before; but Neji would just force himself to keep quiet and stay still and Tenten would merely start talking about other things - about her new conversation with Hanabi, about helping Hinata grow her garden, about encountering familiar faces outside the compound.

It is unfamiliar to both of them, the willingness to let down their guard and just observe and feel, and they both wonder when they started being conscious of their breathing pattern and heartbeat and partner.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I gave very minor editing to this chapter. I just reread the whole thing and also had to correct some spelling errors. I appreciate the feedbacks I receive and am currently working on the new chapter. =D


	5. Chapter 4: Virginal Much

**Chapter 4: Virginal Much  
><strong>

- . -

One of life's surprises is knowing how different other people think. Sometimes you are too caught up in your own thoughts that hearing others' opinions are like seeing things in an entirely different light. It is a wonder to know how varied perspectives can go - Tenten is to be reminded of that fact in a rare mission-free morning whence both her and Neji have the time to unwrap their almost-forgotten wedding presents.

- . -

"Oh this is not real. Please, please tell me I am dreaming. But even then, it is not exactly a good dream..."

Tenten stared unbelievingly at the item in her hand as if it would disappear before her eyes and not be true at all. Of course, she knows by logic that it is there and existing, but she is so stunned that someone actually had the guts to send the whole Icha Icha Series Video Box Set as a Hyuuga wedding present (the nerve!). Though the adaptation movies were reviewed to be 'very adult' and 'mature unlike any other' by movie critics all over Fire Country and was recognized to be a sensation among ninjas a generation above her and older and is said to be helpful in... _select_ types of mission, there _still _seems to be no relevance between wedding and Icha Icha that the young woman felt perplexed about the sender's intention.

And unless she is mistaken, Icha Icha is a romantic comedy (with no direct relation to the ninja profession and therefore serves little to no purpose but entertainment), or at least a comedy with sprinkles of romance. Tenten is pretty sure that everyone knows that she and Neji are not in the sweethearts lovey-dovey category and are definitely not the type to appreciate movies reeking of rabu rabu aura; and is therefore puzzled that out of more practical things to choose from, they were gifted with the very colorful, rather expensive, box set.

Looking at the flirtatious box cover design (a more detailed and explicit version of Icha Icha Paradise) an alarming thought suddenly occurred, draining color from her face. Do they look so... so... lovey-dovey to others to be given such a thing? Definitely haven't held hands, hugged, nor done anything of the sort yet, haven't they? Surely, no kissing in public? The man-chasing-woman thing haven't happened to them, and they were both careful to remain professionals outside the privacy of their home. Where did the idea came from?

On a side note, come to think of it, they barely went out to public together since they married. Not that Tenten is asking for a date, no, that is not their thing, really - but even training with each other they have foregone. Their life, since they got hitched, consists only of missions, private training, and quiet times in between thus frankly feeling more of being roommates than a couple nor a family (although there is an intimate moment each day which she came to look forward to). Are they turning into a minor case of DINKY, taking missions whenever free and devoted to earning, earning, and earning? She glanced at Neji, recalling his request on their wedding night, and promptly turned a faint pink. When should they do 'it'?

Oh, she is overthinking (not to mention overreacting) the Icha Icha. She should take her mind off its wayward track and focus instead on important or practical matters, like what they should do with the videos.

In seeking advice, Tenten turned to her husband who is currently wearing a slightly miffed look on his face and holding... a scrap of black lace.

Curiosity got the better of her Icha Icha predicament.

"Hey Neji... what is that?"

Said man gave a shrug, trying to figure out the lace in vain, and in so doing spread the item from end-to-end only to color his wife a fetching red.

The item - Tenten immediately recognized it, having tried one once out of curiosity and never worn it since from sheer discomfort - it has holes, is see-through, and barely supports what it should be covering and protecting. The young woman could only give a deep, exasperated sigh, wondering if such gifts - including the Icha Icha _thing_- are common or not for newly-weds. Or maybe, just maybe, they are being made fun of or bet on without their knowledge.

"Unbelievable. Who gave that?" she finally let out with disbelief.

Neji fumbled with the bright pink wrapping paper before pulling out a rather familiar signature. Tenten could swear she has seen that on the blackmail letters Ebisu and Kakashi-sensei accidentally let her glimpse in the jounin locker rooms.

"Anko. And there's a message here: 'If you want more of these stuff, don't be shy to approach me. I'll guide you according to your preferences, though I personally think BDSM fits your image well.'"

Neji waited for the dark look on his wife's face to pass before daring to satisfy his own curiosity.

"What is this thing, Tenten?"

"That - is a bloody thong."

Neji does not seem satisfied nor enlightened with the answer.

"What is a thong?" he asked with a perfectly straight face.

"Look at it and see what it is similar to."

After a pregnant pause, he settled on,

"Ribbon?"

To which Tenten almost laughed. She has always held Neji in high regard for his genius, but lately he has been piling up her proof that between the two of them it seems that he is the more naive. She, at least, knows that even men have tanga. As a nice person, she decided to respond with as concise information as she could:

"No, it is an underwear meant to leave a considerable part of one's ass uncovered."

At this, Neji did not know which troubles him more: that such an uncomfortable design exists or that Tenten did not specify the gender of the wearer.

His disturbance could have showed on his face, for Tenten expounded:

"For some reason, certain men wear them too. The design is considered sexy by many, although I still couldn't appreciate the garment. It rides up the ass at times."

Tenten did not notice her slip up to which Neji chose not to comment on. So Tenten... in a thong... it looks strangely appealing, at least in his mind's picture. He had to mentally smack himself, though, for the inappropriate thought. Erase the image, erase the image. Trying to distract himself, he absentmindedly reread Anko's note. There is one thing he missed on the first reading...

"BDSM?" he turned expectantly to his wife for the answer.

But Tenten's face is as blank as his, and an uncomfortable silence stretched on - then a fact sunk in. Clueless, they are simply clueless about these things (the consequence, perhaps, of having been spared the so-called 'adult' missions); and somehow they could not help but feel the urge to know - as ninjas, not knowing even the tiniest details may cost a lot in the future - and then catching each other's eye both rushed to the nearest dictionary.

"Oh..."

All other things in their mind flew out the window as they struggled to grasp what they just read. The act is sick, twisted, but somehow exciting and hot and sexy and now that they know they could not undo the information from their brain - and their imagination, as well.

- _for him_ -

Neji paced uncomfortably in the civilian street, wearing, for a change, not mission clothes nor Hyuuga robes, but a plain shirt and pants - civilian clothes. He had tied his hair in a low ponytail and is wearing a cap pulled down - hiding his eyes - and a glimpse at an adjacent window told him that he looks completely normal and barely identifiable in his current location. However, he could not shake off the feeling that something unpleasant may happen if he dared enter the building next door; but remembering Kiba's roaring laughter, Ino's raised eyebrow and Naruto's mischievous grin from his latest post-mission strengthened his resolve - thus trying to look as casual as he could, he finally entered the nondescript place called Konoha Civilian Public Library.

Why Neji was strolling the civilian street and is currently in the civilian library is an occurrence prompted by no other than the aforementioned people. He had just sat down earlier that morning to write the formal mission report in his corner in the jounin lounge when Kiba, having been dismissed and was free to do whatever he wanted, decided to persuade him into finishing the rest of the file in a local restaurant with the rest of the temporary platoon. Giving the benefit of the doubt that the presence of his team members would result into a more satisfactory paper, Neji soon found himself steered into a small table in one of the village's pubs; a bottle of sake shoved right under his nose and the mission report forcibly taken from his firm grasp by a grinning Naruto. It was then when Ino decided to ask an innocent question with the straightest face she could muster, though from the brightness in her eyes Neji deduced that the whole thing was planned:

"I haven't seen Tenten lately much, how is she, hm?"

At this stage, Neji could not yet sense where the point is being driven to so he answered as safely as he could.

"She's fine."

"In perfect health, anyhow?" she quickly prompted.

"As perfect as a ninja could have."

Ino looked positively delighted and exchanged a brief, meaningful look with Kiba and Naruto.

"Well then," the three said simultaneously, "congratulations!"

Neji stared blankly at them, suspecting that his leg is being pulled.

"What for?"

Ino answered in what seemed to be a placating fashion, a small grin tugging at her lips.

"You don't know yet, do you?"

The single raised eyebrow is all Kiba needed to burst into speech, as if owing Neji a good, long explanation. Naruto, meanwhile, contented himself in beaming happily and punctuating each phrase with a nod.

"Well, it was when Shino mentioned to me that Tenten has been feeling sick last week - light-headed, nauseous, and is exhausted more quickly than her usual standard, he said - that I felt mildly curious about her. She, like you, has a certain manic obsession in being professional at all times; won't drop a mission nor fail one if it could be salvaged still, so you could tell I was surprised to hear that she has been complaining - so I asked Ino, who was nearby, for an opinion."

"Well, to reach a conclusion, I first took note of the signs, and then considered she is newly-wed, and that I saw her limping last month while doing her shopping as if she got screwed somewhere between her legs," Ino simpered, earning a snort each from her two male companions, "so I put two and two together and well, I'd say congratulations on knocking up my virginal friend."

To top their amusement at the rare shocked, disbelieving expression in front of them, Naruto then decided to speak up at that moment.

"I guess, then, that the Icha Icha Series Video Box Set's not wasted. I was doubting its function when Kakashi-sensei suggested it for a gift - never found the appeal myself, thought it is lousy and boring - but it turns out that Jiraiya-sensei, may he rest in peace, really knows his stuff. Had a good time, did you? If you would like, the whole novel series is left in my possession, you could have it - Jiraiya's work would do better in use than gathering dust in my bookshelf. Just drop by my apartment when needs arise."

It had to be double entendre, Neji thought, upon hearing Kiba guffaw at the last phrase. Although it is not the first time he is being made fun of, or maybe even kept out of the loop, he couldn't help but feel hot all over, annoyed and frustrated at his unfamiliarity with the crude language. Apparently having the wrong notion with regards to his relationship with Tenten, the three continued speaking in their train of thought:

"You are lucky to have her, I wish I am getting some as well -"

"Less than half a year and knocked her up already -"

"So was it good? I somehow imagine that she is delectably kinky in bed -"

"I'm envious."

"Sakura said she has been complaining about a soreness in her lower back -"

"Just what kind of position did you use to make those bruises -"

"Take it easy man... give Tenten the chance to be on top. You would enjoy the sensation, ask her to do this circular motion right on your groin -"

And Neji had had enough finally. He motioned with his hand for silence, added a glare for extra measure, and when everybody did shut up started clearing the obvious misconception.

"You - you three - got it all wrong. Tenten couldn't be pregnant, we didn't do anything in the past month, and the sickness and the bruise were both mission-induced, she told me."

"Then perhaps she's two months along, or even three -"

"No."

Kiba looked at him, thunderstruck.

"Don't tell me," he queried weakly, "you haven't tried it? Just married and all, and you haven't - have you touched her at all?"

It was perhaps the most embarrassing and humiliating question ever asked to Neji. The young Hyuuga, sheltered from such sex-related, very personal matters by his archaic clan and honorable, polite Team Gai never had the chance before to ponder and answer a question like that. It was Neji's first time, at that moment, to realize how unmanly, how degrading to the male ego many people regard virginity among adult males is - not being able to 'conquer' a woman - especially if already wed. The wild expression of the three just told him that with a wrong response their perspective on him would become less... well, less mature. What sexual experience and being mature and grown-up have to do with each other he does not know; but his hunch nevertheless told him that a 'no' for an answer would be a blow on him sooner or later.

"I wouldn't dignify your question with an answer. What happens in my marriage is only between Tenten and I. This conversation has been dragged on too much already."

He made to leave, grabbing the mission paper back from Naruto's slack clutch when said blond abandoned tact yet again and risked voicing his thought.

"Just how virginal are you two?"

Neji's scowl, while not confirming the suspicion, nevertheless caused Kiba to howl in laughter, Ino to raise an eyebrow in amusement, and Naruto to grin mischievously.

"I appreciate your concern, however misplaced, but next time if you pry again to my, or her, private life I would not hesitate to knock you out. And mind that I would be more merciless in a mission next time - prepare yourselves while you have the chance."

With a threat hanging in the air, he swept from the room leaving his sake untouched.

Neji scowled once more that day as he browsed the bookshelves. No, he wouldn't be kept in the dark anymore. Glancing around to make sure that no one is within eyesight, he pulled down book after book with titles that may help him in his conquest for knowledge. Really, he thought glumly as he scanned a thick volume for useful headings, he just respects Tenten too much to force himself on her. They could have had sex in their first night, and even before that too - the number of times they slept together in missions! But Tenten is his friend and partner and he wouldn't besmirch her with acts she may regret later. While he has no thorough knowledge regarding sex, he knows that intercourse is not just penetration - it is the most physical contact there is and it is intimate enough to forever burn in one's memory.

Carefully arranging the books in his arms, Neji trudged along the shelves, trying to find a table, or a corner, or even a mere space for private reading. He briefly imagined how hard he would be laughed at if someone recognizing him just walks in and sees him looking up 'sex'... but that should not happen, the probability is low enough, as he took the trouble to avoid the public library for ninjas where privacy is extremely difficult to protect. Few ninjas frequent this area in Konoha, after all, and this particular library is hardly visited at noontime and weekdays. And he is positive that aside from the bored, sleepy librarian at the entrance no one was there when he entered.

Neji finally spotted a secluded spot and is currently passing a final bookshelf before it when he collided with someone. Books spilled onto the floor, pages fluttered open, and he just glimpsed of a diagram of naked, conjoined man and woman when the other person, a woman, gave an audible gasp of surprise.

She is holding a book open, the page heading "The Ultimate Sex Techniques - Make your partner cream and scream" printed in bold letters clearly visible. Neji, horrified, willed himself to look from the familiar hands grasping the volume to the stunned expression... on his wife's face.

Fate must be making fun of him now.


	6. Chapter 5: Not Just Us

**Chapter 5: Not Just Us  
><strong>  
>- <em>for him<em>-

The weird thing when going through embarrassing situations is that aside from the burning feeling and immense desire to either get things over with as quickly as possible or to disappear from the moment itself and never face such pride-eating instance in one's lifetime again is after the embarrassment subsides there would hardly be clear memory of what happened the whole time. Neji, as an example, could only vaguely remember what happened between running into Tenten in the public library and finally arriving home that afternoon. The little he could recall, though, warns him of an onset of awkwardness he has never felt before - along the level of the heavy silence after they have picked up their books and read shiftily opposite each other while trying not to be too conscious and dodgy of the other's presence (although he was sure both of them knew they are perfectly entitled to read any book of their choice). It was a relief, when, after three whole hours of sitting tight Tenten finally shut the volumes and stood up without prying his business. He followed suit and held his tongue in regards to the accidentally-viewed diagram of what he now knows as the cowgirl position; and for the walk home they maintained a distance between them - perhaps farther than normal, they cannot help it with the influx of, uh, barely controllable thoughts flooding their imagination and primal desires they just discovered to really exist - till the tension was too much for their pretense of not having found out their inexperience and naivety and they finally looked at each other with uncharacteristic shyness.

"So, interesting read?" Tenten braved, and Neji had to admire how she could strike a conversation at the moment with a casual tone in her voice (despite the growing blush on her face). "I never knew so much before."

"Yeah..."

"It sucks doesn't it?" she ploughed on, grimacing, after a thoughtful silence. "We have taken more missions than any of our and the following batches, and _now_ they have come to laugh at us for not being present enough in their idle chats, as if there is a lot to gather from their baseless teasing and lewd table-talks. Mind you, I think at least half of their superiority complex in sex comes from mere boasts and porn - when I find out their real amount of sexual experience, ooh, _I'll_ laugh at them. And when I hear them utter a single wrong info about sex... ha, they'll eat their words - I think _I_know enough to tell their truths from bluffs."

Neji, despite himself, raised an eyebrow in both amusement and abashment. Is it just his ears, or does Tenten sound a bit frustrated herself in lack of sex in her life? She never vows revenge unless she's hit where she's sore... He cleared his throat precariously.

"Uh, Tenten? Just how much is said to you -"

"Oh, nothing much," Tenten bit out sarcastically, the sudden venom in her voice surprising him, "it was just insinuated that it is my lack of appeal, body, and ability that makes you behave like an immobile object. Like it is my fault that we aren't popping Hyuuga babies every second as expected."

"Don't mind them. They are only gauging your reaction -"

"I wouldn't have minded in a few minutes really, but when I ran into you in the library I realized they are also having a go on you - if I wasn't too mortified at first, I would've known right away that we are, definitely, subject of a running joke among our 'friends.'"

Neji sighed deeply, observing his long-time partner's positively furious expression. Tenten, who dislikes being treated as a joke, hates it when someone's treating her friends as uncomprehending individuals and loathes it when something serious, unfunny, and very personal is being discussed too lightly. Her marriage with him and what happens between them are obviously too important to her to be made into laughing matter.

"What should they care," she continued irritatingly, "if we respect ourselves to a point of abstaining from thoughtless, unplanned, unprepared for coupling? It is not just sex, isn't it? It's connection - and if there's going to be a child, it must be better off to be conceived in a welcoming atmosphere rather than some catastrophic accident involving an irresponsible father and hopelessly pregnant mother. There are cases that turn out okay, though, but if the uncertain circumstances could be avoided..."

She cast him an appreciative look before going on, "And I am glad you aren't pressuring me, Neji, for honestly, if you were an ass _that_ night I assure a good struggle at the very least - some broken bones maybe, and if you were too overbearing a _certain_... lacerated part as well."

She glanced down at his pants, blushed furiously, and determinedly leveled her eyes with his' to get her point across.

Neji, although he is not as 'attached' as some men are to their member, still had to repress a shudder at the sudden image. He is admittedly impressed, though, at how Tenten refuses to be slighted at the right reasons - whether intentional or not on the offender's part - and how she could expound seemingly small, yet embarrassing conversations into plausible underlying issues and complications. He has known Tenten to be very observant, critical, and intelligent, but this is a new level in her personality that he never had the opportunity to appreciate.

"I believe we could talk things through and I would not act that rashly, Tenten."

"Good."

"Done talking?" A voice behind them inquired in a tone between impatience, sternness and mirth, causing both of them to jump in alarm. It is unnerving to be sneaked upon for ninjas, even with guards down. They nodded numbly. "Then go in to your quarters as you should have done minutes ago and let me pass."

It is Hiashi Hyuuga with his mouth threatening to curl upwards; and Neji and Tenten didn't have to guess that they have been overheard. Oh, the downside of having a formidable uncle living within the vicinity. Tenten groaned, ushering a stunned Neji inside their door, desperate to get somewhere she would not embarrass herself anymore.

- _for her _-

Tenten stared somberly at her reflection on the moist-clouded mirror, critically observing the outline of her body - from the round-shaped face, to the proportional neck that is neither short nor long, to the gentle slope of her shoulders, to the soft swell of her breasts, to the gradual but definite trim to a tight waist, to the slightly wide hips and finally to the tapering legs - but failed to spot what she has been told of. She frowned, turned sideways, and observed herself once more. No matter how she looks at herself, she couldn't see how she could come off, as Anko had hinted in the female jounin showers earlier that day, lacking body and appeal. She wiped the mirror with her hands and looked at herself more clearly. Definitely likable. Even trying to inspect herself from an outer, detached perspective she could not help admire her shape; lacking body, lacking appeal - bullshit! Even if it was a joke, the insult was a bit too personal not to sting even herself - who prioritizes cross-country and physically-demanding missions rather than undercover ones calling for feminine charm (an example would be seduction missions, but Tenten personally thinks these are too common in many people's mind when 'undercover' and 'kunoichi' are strung in the same sentence and maintains that most undercover matters would need not require seduction). However, if given a chance to have her say on the subject, Tenten bets she could do those sexy kunoichi missions as well as Ino - the regularly assigned vamp the blond woman is - could.

No, it was not the question of seduction mission performance in doubt that irked Tenten enough to prompt an outburst from her in front of Neji. And although the marriage, sex, and privacy issues certainly weighted heavily, it was actually a more trivial (to put it simply) worry that was the last straw, rendering her feisty and much more prone to react to taunts.

Tenten is worried that it is, indeed, her lack of charm that delays her husband from desiring a progeny with her.

Not that she has given him a clear response at the only time (so far) he has dared to ask her, but still, isn't her receptiveness in their kisses enough to guarantee an advance from him? Had he not made his intention clear - a child - and would not change his mind that quick? Surely, he is not waiting for a stark "I want to have sex with you Neji at this time and this place" to take an initiative? In a minute's thinking, a known fact uncomfortably wedged its way to her brain and Tenten gaped at her reflection in horror. She has known Neji for nearly two decades; if she is not mistaken Neji may actually be unconcerned about her appearance and appeal and is rather more focused on finding his pacing in their married life, finding the right moment to do and discuss things, and is far from finished in the adjustment period to take a more active, persuasive, dominant role towards an engaged married life. And if ever Neji is still mindful of his one-to-two-year-goal and is set on beating the one year quota, he who likes answers clear and straight in order to make no room for misinterpretations is most likely to test his patience waiting for a proper response than reiterate himself until he is backed into a corner by a nearer 'deadline'. If she wants action in the near future, she would have to act - her husband is never one for hurrying, especially in waters he does not yet know how to tread, and he might as well take a whole year to ask the question again.

Tenten weakly put her feet in the tub and allowed her body to slide in the very warm water, lightheaded. She has to tell Neji. Tell him what? A voice in her head asked defiantly, unwilling to shoulder yet another scene she'd rather not be in. Tell him that since he kissed you thoroughly in the doorway last December you have been willing to give yourself to him? That you are slowly, yet steadily, growing frustrated at his unwavering reserve not to touch you in ways you have not yet consented to or brought up? That you are too curious now in sex and is thinking more and more of doing it with him; but his naivety and little boy charm catches you off guard, making you hesitant to do the initiative while being more and more charmed? That you are guilty of the desire to spread your fingers across the chest of the closest friend you have, and of seeking a more intimate relationship with him?

Tenten face-palmed herself. No more denying it, she wants Neji. She has - even on their wedding night - been prepared to take responsibility over a child in the near future, but she somehow couldn't get past the hurdle of attempting to conceive with Neji. Their kisses have become significantly steamy from their first, chaste one, but somehow they haven't got round to comfortably touching each other - not casual touches normal between close friends but the touches that are intimate - and the farthest they have got are close embraces and that only happens when a dangerous mission is calling them. How Tenten would have loved to be caressed on her lower back, neck, or hips...

But how, and when, and where would she tell Neji without shocking him into Hinata's most fetching shade of red at her not-so-virginal thoughts anymore?

And damn those nosy 'friends' for making things more awkward in their married life, as if they haven't got enough tension thick enough for two people to wallow in already.

- _._ -

Hinata barely finished her farewell to her old genin teammates when she spotted Neji stalking his way in her direction with an expression akin to a grimace. He seems to be struggling with himself, she later saw as he came nearer, his mouth curling at one end as if torn between opening or keeping shut still. On closer inspection, his eyes are fixed not on her, but behind her.

"Do you wish to speak to my old team, Neji-nii-san?"

"No, it is you who I wish to converse with. Have you a moment this instance?"

Hinata has no hesitation. While her relationship with her cousin has improved to something akin to friendship over the years, the interactions between them remains sparse as they sped on their similar, yet different, career tracks and any initiative from him is welcome. She gestured towards the nearby empty sitting room and they sat themselves graciously on the sofa.

"I am listening."

Neji gave her a piercing look, like what he does when on the verge of a decision which often includes whether to confide to her or not.

"Did your teammates mention anything about Tenten and me?"

Hinata paused on pouring herself tea, contemplating the question.

"Well, I think Shino-kun did inquire on Tenten-san's health last week but said nothing further on the subject once I assured him that she is fine. Kiba-kun was there but only when Ino came by did he utter a word. Of course I respect his privacy but I could not help suspecting that their conversation was about the two of you. He was harping about you when I met him at noon."

"Do elaborate on the last detail, Hinata-sama."

"He said he thinks he found out something about you that, while not unthinkable, still came as a surprise given how, well, Tenten smells lately. He was muttering 'too gentlemanly, proper, and uptight' many times and reckons you should hang out at the pub more often, for loosening up purposes. And he told me to tell you to take a break, relax, and appreciate your surroundings more. You were supposed wasting good times with a lovely wife."

"Tell Kiba to get a bit more busy to take his mind off snooping on others' business."

Hinata stared at the irked expression on Neji's face, a little amused. Undoubtedly he is uncomfortable being the subject of much talk and rumor if the subtopics are extending beyond his ninja career. Oh, she hears the rumors all right, but is wise not to divulge the extreme ones.

"Anything else in your mind, Neji-nii-san? You seem troubled."

"I am just wondering how I - and Tenten - incurred the interest of the rumor mill."

"Ah," Hinata smiled to her cup of tea, taking a sip as she felt the eyes on her press for answer, "I think everyone's just feeling uneasy about your marriage."

"And how is that relevant, and why so?"

"You married first among your age and even the preceding generation, Neji-nii-san. In doing so, you are the first in a long while to respond to the less attended-to social responsibility of ninjas."

"Regarding the next generation?"

"Yes. You are not the only one who is receiving pressure from Konoha and your family to beget children; almost every legal ninja from clans are being encouraged to get a move on from being single. I expect that people are merely trying to pry information about married life from you to help them decide on how to react to the pressure but are rather reluctant or uneasy in being straight-forward on asking for your opinion. What is being married like? Would it hamper one's ninja career or not? How is it to live with someone, to be intimate with another and divulge the secrets of the body and mind so openly? Your friends have limited time to make their decision for increased chance of being able to choose a spouse; to preempt their family from taking a more influential role in their future. I, myself, am getting the nudge from Hiashi-sama and am admittedly at a loss on how to handle the situation."

Neji's eyebrows rose and Hinata felt a hundred questions suddenly looming before her even if not one surfaces yet. She should have refrained from mentioning the last part but she knew Neji would be able to advise her accordingly; besides, the subject has been hanging in the back of her mind for sometime with all the mounting atmosphere of social pressure and responsibilities among their age group. She decided to drop the second bomb to stem, if not postpone, further inquiries at the moment which might lead to more store of blackmail material.

"On the subject of my father, he wishes me to inquire on your - and Tenten-san's - plan in the near future and says he would like to offer the clan's private estate near the border of the Land of Fire for your possession. He is going to give you time out from clan duties to inspect the property's condition with Tenten-san and I -" she is speaking louder and quicker now with her cousin exuding signs of wanting to interrupt growing stronger by the second, "- highly advise you not to turn down the proposal, for father is determined to see that you follow the terms of your marriage with Tenten-san that you presented before your engagement."

"Hiashi-sama -"

"- expects a child from you within the first two years of your marriage, yes."

Neji did not immediately respond and Hinata searched apprehensively for any emotion on his expression; now quite sure that a secret is being kept from her, a secret concerning the need of a child. Hanabi did mention once in passing that the two (Neji and Tenten) would need a lot of help to procreate...

"When will the inspection be?" he finally muttered.

"To be arranged between the two of you as soon as possible."

Neji stood up, and so did she, an indication of the end of conversation.

"I am grateful, Hinata-sama. If there are things - such as engagement problems - you wish to speak to me with, just find me."

Hinata looked hopefully at her older cousin, certain of the understanding and assurance in his note, and as he went his way she is sure that he has found what he has been looking for in seeking her and that she is not wrong to confide her worries in him.

- _for him _-

Neji returned to his living quarters to find Tenten still shut in the bathroom. He collapsed on the bed, head buzzing with thoughts, grateful for the moment's privacy.

He almost forgot about the two-year goal he set, too conscious of giving Tenten space and the rein in the decision. Too apprehensive of taking the plunge in this new relationship he initiated; subconsciously pulling back his thoughts when they strayed in a place they never dared wander off to before.

His mind steered itself back onto the eve of his engagement with Tenten. Hiashi-sama had made it clear that while he personally approves of his partner, if it was not for her lack of clan, bloodline limit, and political involvement he would have denied the possible union as clan head. A spouse, who does not belong to the Hyuuga clan originally, has the duty of providing the clan with at least a child to continue the line. The common background is essential in making sure of no contamination in the bloodstream of the child, a way of the clan to claim the new being as wholly theirs and none of others but the hidden village it swore allegiance to. He and Tenten has the responsibility of creating a new generation and their discomforts should not hinder the achievement of this.

But how should he approach Tenten and impose the time limit on her? She has breached the subject before but has not given acknowledgement to the time constraint - he should have explained right away the urgency for the heir of the thickest, densest Hyuuga blood to sire a progeny.

Neji is still wallowing in his own thoughts when the bathroom door opened and Tenten emerged: wrapped only in a towel, hair loose and damp on her back and shoulders, and eyes piercing straight to his the moment she set a naked foot outside the steaming room.

And this time Neji could not undo what he has learned, what he now knows about sex, and the way Tenten is he could not help but try, for once, to let his mind run free while only vaguely aware of swallowing dryly as his heart doubled its speed and the conflicts inside of him are raised into madness then sudden standstill.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Dang, is it a trend that my chapters are becoming longer each time I add another? I just couldn't cut a point I want to make into a short chapter anymore... This one took longer than the previous ones for many reasons and the first is I had planned its end much more different but with all the editing it came out the way which is farther from my first major goal (in short, I had a long-cut). If there are problems with grammar/tense I would appreciate a notification. I would also like to take this chapter update as an opportunity to inform you that the next chapter would probably take at least a month to publish since I am back to my busy uni life now. Meanwhile, thanks for the feedbacks - I am really grateful. :)


	7. Chapter 6: Forward

**Chapter 6: Forward  
><strong>

- _for him_ -

Neji Hyuuga sat on the bed, rigid, with nary motion nor word; not daring to break the still atmosphere - rather, not knowing how to deal with it. The instance their eyes met, he knew, as the innate ability to interpret nonverbal language told him, that the resolution in her eyes is unlike anything he has ever seen. There is anxiety, yes, but there is resolve similar but not quite to that when she steels herself for difficult decisions in important missions. The sharp, undaunted look in her eyes pierces straight into his being; foretelling him that he would be with her in what she does, that there would be no backing out, excuses, nor escapes - her eyes are on nothing but him and what she plans to do, they would do together. Somehow, he got the feeling that he is going to be devoured and has no idea if it is a nice thought or not.

But he has no moment to dwell on the matter, for a decision has just been made for him: 'Kiss me,' Tenten has whispered, and he found himself too drawn to delay what he has been postponing for a long time already. He is too attracted to bother with a little more time to think things over, and for once he did something impulsive - he yanked her, pulling her into his arms, and just kissed her without further thought.

He pressed kisses, and kisses, and kisses on her; hands not - as these usually were - merely stationary at his side but sensuously grabbing, gripping the fabric at her lower back, pulling her tightly and tightly and tightly into him until there are only clothes and heat and yearning between them.

His mind is blank, hazy; his heart is beating furiously, erratically; his breathing is labored, heavy - his senses are in overdrive, flooded by unfamiliar but stimulating sensations and all of them sum up in one delectable person...

So this is desire.

- _for her_-

She felt Neji in the room before she even stepped out of the bath. Wrapping the towel securely around her form, she glanced at the foggy mirror before setting out, the eyes looking back at her different from the previous half hour's - she is determined to settle issues with him and if he doesn't want to act, now is a good time to find out how to provoke him - she, with all the pent up feelings, just couldn't take anymore tension and standstill. It is time to up their relationship.

But when their eyes locked, she suddenly felt apprehensive - insecurities and uncertainties kept barging in from the corners of her brain, attacking her confidence, not in herself, but in - well, there's no other word for it - seducing Neji. In the long time that they have known each other, he never mentioned anything about her as a woman, and even though she used not to care about that as much, Tenten finds that somehow, feminine appeal matters when it is about Neji. They are husband and wife, right? So it is natural for her to want her spouse to desire her...

And oh, the expression of flustered innocence on his face is too much to take. Even after the extensive reading they just did, he still has the charm of being as clueless as he could be... it makes her want to playfully smack him and make fun of him, but that would be a deviation from her current agenda. Instead, not to be deterred, she whispered in a deliberately husky voice, stepping over the lines she carefully watched for so long, the only beginning she could think of: 'kiss me.'

And suddenly she is pulled forward with a strong force, her lips are intertwining with his and he is not holding back like how he used to - she felt the warm, comfortable weight of his hands on her back and like she visualized it, it felt good, sensuous. She would have liked the pair to dare venture beneath her clothes,warming her skin-to-skin, but she thinks it would be too much to expect from Neji at this point in time. She focused, instead, on his hot mouth as he kissed her on the lips, cheeks, forehead, collarbone, neck, and ear... he has accepted her advance and it seems like her thoughts are not that one-sided... oh, good... her nerves are tingling, her muscles convulsing, she is getting excited...

Neji tightened his hold on her, they shifted, and she almost let out a sound between a whimper and a moan as their bodies are brought closer together. Heat is radiating from him so strongly that she is almost faint with pleasure from the intimacy... his chest, his lap, his arms are too hot...

- _for him_ -

It is unbelievably hot, he thought hazily, being wrapped around like this. She is seated on his lap, her torso very close to his', her hands buried in the hair at the back of his head. Fingernails scraped his scalp - normally he would have been annoyed - but this time the soft pressure only served to increase the pleasurable sensation he is currently experiencing as moist lips grazed his' teasingly. He nudged her closer with an arm, earning a small sound of surprise, and took the chance to engage themselves in a deeper kiss. Lips locking repeatedly and breathes gradually shortening into sweet, warm gasps, their world has been narrowed in this particular instance and they could hear nothing, feel nothing, see nothing else -

He raised his hand to settle on her neck, to pull her, if possible, even closer, but instead his hand brushed against something he forgot exists between them and in a particular delicious nibble from Tenten he grabbed it instead of her shoulder, accidentally pulling the fabric that is her towel a little bit lower. He would have been embarrassed at this situation, but his reason has far lagged from his desire, and without thought gave the newly-exposed flesh near her armpit a squeeze, incidentally brushing her breast. Soft...

- _for her_-

She instinctively grabbed the towel as it threatens to fall down, halting its progress midway her back and barely managing to cover her breasts with what little she has in hand. She couldn't imagine her first attempt to seduce her husband going this far, a bit of touching is what her goal is, but this instance is almost sex... or is it sex already? No, there is no penetration happening here. But why does it hype her so much?

Neji's hand proceeded to squeeze her near the breast, and this time she couldn't help but gasp in pleasure. It makes her wonder why his touch feels very different, very stimulating; it is just a hand on her bare skin, isn't it? But as the hand kept moving and squeezing her, she could hardly focus on why she feels so intensely at the moment. She just wants him to explore her body, to roam her with his hands...

There is a tightening sensation near her groin and Tenten felt hot liquid flow within her. _Oh fuck.._. Is it her period? But it couldn't be, she's not supposed to have one right now. And if this is what the so-called orgasm is like, it is rather a downer - isn't it usually an ultimate pleasure? But if it is a period, by the smallest chance, then she shouldn't continue doing, er, what she is currently doing with Neji. It would be so, so awkward, much more awkward than stopping in the middle of everything...

The hungry look in his eyes almost made her continue their activity despite the possible bloody mess. However, the uncomfortable feeling between her legs is not something she could just ignore and while coherent thought slowly returned, the realization of the abruptness and carelessness of it all dawned on her. She would've ruined what they were holding back, the solemness of it, in haste and lack of control... it shames her to have let carnal desires take over her consciousness and beliefs, making her no better than a wanton. For someone who expressed clear intention on wanting to do things properly, she has become a hypocrite, and that is something she must remedy soon. Ashamed, Tenten gathered herself together, hitched the towel higher, and muttered 'bathroom' before rapidly, ungracefully departing from the scene.

She returned, a quarter of an hour later, to find Neji lying on the bed frowning at the ceiling. He did not acknowledge her presence in the room and even when she sat near his one side he continued to avoid her eyes. This is the awkwardness of postponing sex in the middle of the heat without clear mutual agreement after a smoky start, she knows, and the stony silence is her fault and it is her responsibility to resolve the misunderstanding.

"Neji."

Still, he did not acknowledge her.

"Neji, look, I'm sorry. I did not mean to walk out of the situation earlier, but I really had something urgent to attend to. It is not that you did something to make me stop. You were - er - good, but now that my mind is clear, I think the time is not right."

It seems that her words have some positive effect, as her husband ceased frowning at the ceiling and instead directed the frowning at her. At least he is looking now.

Her next statement is not something she is comfortable to talk about in front of a male, but she has to utter it to make him understand.

"I thought my period came, and considered it undesirable to continue our activity in a bloody state. And we were not supposed to go... that far... but I was carried away. I'm really sorry. I should have been more responsible."

At this point she is so ashamed that she could not look him in the eyes at all; after releasing some pent-up tension earlier she is mortified on how forward and forceful she was. Neji must have been shocked; hopefully he would not commit her outrageous behavior to memory nor take it so seriously. Losing face in front of someone she knew since childhood is not something she could easily get over with.

It seems like Neji holds both of them responsible, though, and it is such a relief to hear him say:

"You could have explained earlier, I would've understood. And I was careless, as well... I was caught up in the moment and was unable to stop... if you did not part from me, I would've..."

A long, long, long pause; a shuddering breath, and a statement she hardly believes Neji would be the first one to utter:

"...let us just do it properly then, next time, to make up for this fiasco."

_Oh. Is it really you, Neji?_

She could only gape and blush and give a tiny nod to that.

- . -

When changes happen to a person, the most likely to notice are the people immediately around him. There are changes, though, that are not visible on the surface and could only be detected by select few who really know the circumstances, the few who could actually see what is happening underneath the underneath. And for Neji, perhaps there is no one better than Lee to suppose what has happened to him; no matter how he tries to hide things, nothing will get past such a good, loyal friend he has.

- _for him_-

"Did something happen last night between you and Tenten?"

Neji halted mid-step, surprised at the sudden inquiry. Ever since he broke the news of his marriage to Lee, the guy has been trying to give the two of them some private space, not asking a single question about the sudden change in their old team's dynamics. To ask now, after four months, is a bit surprising.

"What made you ask?"

"A hunch, maybe? Something just seems off, and I think it has something to do with her."

"I... we... well - yesterday was too eventful for us, perhaps."

"Troubles? Anything I can help you with?"

"No Lee, we are fine... it is just that I saw a side of me, and of hers as well, that I have not thought of in existence. I am living this new turn in life with her, and I am glad that it is her who I am with; but since it is her, I am rather..."

Neji distractingly shuffled the mission reports in his hand, mentally searching for a good term to describe what he is feeling at the moment. Lee has always been an excellent confidant, and somehow he has the gut feeling that Lee would be able to help him making his marriage more grounded. It is not that he has a serious issue with it; it is just that he feels he is adjusting a bit too slowly.

Deciding to confide what has been bothering him inside, Neji beckoned his friend closer, away from the hallway of the jounin offices and into a crevice where he would not be heard by anyone else.

"...I am rather reluctant to touch her, though I know that I am bound to do so, but I just..."

"Can't get past the image of her as a friend?"

"Close enough. I could and I do see her as something else but... in the last moment, I always draw back."

Lee couldn't look more unsurprised. He gave his friend a thoughtful look, as if pondering how much he would say in reply, and finally said:

"I am glad you did confirm my suspicions, Neji, for now I can freely speak my mind without doubts hanging over my head. Neji, I cherish both of you as close friends and I want you to be happy, and since you decided to entrust oneself to the other I would like to remind, perhaps you have forgotten, that in the kind of bond you entered there are no room for reservations. I think you realized by now how different life could be with a partner, and soon enough you would be facing more challenges and difficulties... and without a bond strong enough, there is no chance of overcoming the worst of them. You need to put forth more of oneself to and for the other."

Neji leveled an accusing stare at Lee -

"You are an unmarried man yet you are speaking like a grandfather. I do not know if I should be grateful or annoyed by your lecture - I knew you are waiting for opportunities to lecture the two of us, after staying quiet in the past months."

- which Lee ignored with an airy wave and another bout of lecture.

"I am saying, Neji, is that you should be more youthful. You are young, and you have an excellent woman as your wife - you should enjoy marriage and life and take the plunge the whole way - not halfway through - and just appreciate what you have. It is not just clan and community pressure why you married Tenten, right? Then you are in a win-win situation for both your social responsibilities and personal happiness. You are in a good position, and you should take advantage of it! However, if you are hesitant of completely letting down your defenses for Tenten, and be her man, you would only be wasting your precious youth and perhaps you ought to get your ass whipped again to get yourself moving -"

"Be careful of your language, Lee, and the jibe - else I would shut of all of your chakra points."

"- and finally, a piece of advice: it is obvious, at least to me who is your close friend, that both of you like each other so I think you should communicate your frustrations out whether verbally or physically; and, if you do not want your companions and friends teasing you all the more then you better conceal the hickey on your neck before someone else notices."

_So that was how Lee knew that something happened between his two precious friends._

- . -

Neji could only cover the love bite grudgingly as he pondered on his friend's annoying, all-knowing, yet honest, good, sincere, and well-meant message. Staring at the mirror, while inspecting the minor henge he had done, he wondered what other conclusion he could form aside from the one that has been bugging him since last night. If there is no appealing alternative, then perhaps he should make a reservation soon for a training area and another for a dinner... perhaps it is time for a date with Tenten, and an agreement with Hiashi.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Wow, it has been a long time since my last update. Although I failed to work up my word count and both like and dislike this update, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Next chapter would be up depending on my academic load, so probably it would be in another two or three months.


	8. Chapter 7: Happiness

**Chapter 7: Happiness  
><strong>

- _._ -

Razor-sharp wires propelled by projectiles sailed through the still air at an alarming speed, piercing everything in their path. The target moved out of the way just in time to see bright blue chakra envelop the attachments, effectively changing the direction of propagation, forming a clean curvilinear path back to where he is. Within a heartbeat, the channeled energy burst into a conflagration that burnt everything within its immediate radius; a searing flame is formed by high-concentration chakra that only a select number of people could manage to produce. The scent of burnt flesh permeated the air as his fingers successfully parried the attack, however, with injury.

"There you are, Neji."

Said Hyuuga barely had time to prepare his defenses when one of the projectiles disappeared to be replaced by a five feet six inches' worth of kickass kunoichi who is currently aiming a blow directly to his chin. It connected, forcing him to perform an uncalled-for somersault much to his disgrace.

"What is wrong with you, Neji?" Tenten asked, dropping out of battle stance. "You asked me to train with you, but it seems like your mind is somewhere else. I do not want training with half-assed men and I think you should know it by now."

"I apologize. I do want to train with you, but..."

"But what?"

"For some reason, I couldn't keep my mind off things."

Tenten's eyebrows shot up. Neji is noted to be someone who could not be deterred from taking full responsibilities to his word and it is not like him, definitely not, to have spare thoughts when training is involved. Something must be bothering him so much to the extent of causing abnormalities in his actions and reactions.

"Let's postpone this training. Solve your issues first and if I may, I would like to help you."

Neji looked at Tenten who, unbeknownst to her, is the actual cause of his inner dilemma for the day. He had thought he would gather momentum with the training session, but instead it served to increase his nervousness. Why he is nervous in the first place is a puzzle even to himself; perhaps he would analyze it later but for now he should focus on his goals and get a move on.

"Actually, Tenten, you could help me."

"How?" Tenten prompted when she received no response. Looking at Neji's face more closely, she noted with amusement a slight reddening of the ears - he is feeling embarrassed, apparently. Normally she would have poked fun at him, but she is sure he would be able to get back at her so she would rather not, for her own sake.

Neji's hesitant voice broke the pause.

"Would you... would you go out with me?"

- _for her_ -

In all of her twenty six years of existence, Tenten never went out on a proper date. Sure she had been on dinners with clients, lunches with comrades, but never had she been on a... well, proper date. All of her dating experience could be summed up with the words 'mission' and 'casual dining' and at the moment, she frankly does not know what to expect later.

It irks her that she is beginning to act like a young girl in-love, getting all jittery over a small matter.

She checked her reflection, making sure that she looks good, before scowling abruptly. She is doing it again, being so girly and drastically female all of a sudden. It is not that she has something against being one; it is just... she is not like that. While she enjoys dressing up at times and looking beautiful (and if ever, being praised for that reason), she loves being comfortable and practical most of all. This time, for example, her normal self would have called it unnecessary to try gaining Neji's admiration with regards to her appearance as there is no need for that - Neji is her husband already, after all, and would not be unfaithful no matter what becomes of her looks, though she would not disfigure herself just to test it out. And she is confident, too, that whatever he saw in her to give way to a marriage proposal was not, again, her looks and their relationship would not lie on something as temporary as that. In short, she has no reason to worry about how she would look like this evening - it is just ridiculous to care this much about another's opinion on her. Normally she would have donned a soft, comfortable, durable set of garments and shoes for such an occasion and just let herself have fun, so why she is wearing a semi-formal dress and heeled sandals is unsettling her a bit.

And damn, she has lingered long enough in front of the mirror to be late for their date, which never happened before - lingering too long in front of the mirror, that is.

- _for him_ -

She had laughed at him when he asked her out.

"Only that?" she had said, rendering him speechless once more. "You could have asked me anytime you know. Come on, where are we heading?"

She was smiling at him, the same satisfied smile she wears whenever their training ends successfully and they have some time to go home in a relaxed manner. That smile, when they could spend extra time talking to each other and just being friends. It is nice, and sweet, and glad, but he finds it almost annoying at that moment. He was aiming for something different, not what he thinks she thinks. He could only sigh at her misunderstanding.

"I am seriously asking you out, Tenten. On a date."

He was contented to watch her reaction turn from carefree, to surprised, and finally, embarrassed, as she realized, perhaps, her misconception.

"Um... yes, of course... er, what date and time should we...?"

"I'll meet you outside the Hyuuga compound today at seven in the evening."

They had parted ways after that, and now, at ten past seven in the evening he is waiting beside the main gate, as he specified. Strangely, Tenten is running late and he is starting to worry if she somehow misheard the details.

He is about to fetch her from their quarters when he felt her presence nearby, and sure enough the gate opened with the slightest sound and Tenten came out, looking... he couldn't think about the word at the moment, too busy taking in her appearance, but well she looks... she looks fair. He is suddenly grateful that he thought of accompanying her to the restaurant instead of meeting her there.

"Sorry for the delay."

"It's fine."

An awkward pause.

"Let's go?"

"Alright."

Hence that is how their first date started.

- _for her_ -

Tenten breathed in the late night air with a relish. It was stifling inside the restaurant; not because of the restaurant itself, nor the food, they were superb actually - but because she could tell that Neji wanted to settle something with her but couldn't. The intensity of his gaze as he surveyed her over the delectable food was too much - it was as if he was more interested on eating her instead. She enjoyed their idle chats as usual, though, but the atmosphere was different and that took much of the comfort she would have preferred on a date. She was more than glad, therefore, when he finally stood up and steered her to the open.

"This is a safe place, right?" she finally said, stopping in an empty path leading to the training areas. "No one would hear us here. Or if ever, too busy to hear us. What do you want to say?"

"So you noticed."

His smirk is both triumphant and self-conscious; it makes a fetching combination on a handsome, aristocratic face like his. She almost failed delivering an appropriate reply as she admired the view engulfed in semi-darkness and patches of moonlight.

"Who wouldn't, when you were staring too much, even unblinkingly?"

"I was?"

She doesn't know if he is lying or not, but the roguish smile just now makes her heart skip a bit faster. Is it only the atmosphere which is making her want to prolong their conversation before retiring the night?

"Well, I guess there's another time for you to admit that. So, what do you want to tell me?"

"Tenten I... I decided to accept Hiashi-sama's offer. About the Hyuuga estate."

"I thought we agreed to decide on such matters together?"

"I'm putting the final decision on hold. And to help you decide, if you are willing... would you go out to the estate with me the following week? Erm, to inspect the property and to- and to- er..."

Neji looked around shiftily, as if the surroundings would give him an idea on what to say next. It is rare to see him in this level of awkwardness; it makes her feel awkward too, although in her innermost thoughts some kind of anticipation is building, a faint hope that he would say something that would make her happy.

"Oh, just spit it out."

"Damn it! Okay, letustrytohaveababythen!"

She is not expecting what was just said, atleast, not yet. It made her heart beat faster, a lot faster, made her excited all the way down to her toes, made her very, very nervous, and a tiny bit scared and apprehensive. A sudden attack from Neji in a very un-Neji fashion, she would have suspected a trick in the making if not for knowing him better.

More importantly than anything else, she should make sure she did not mishear.

"Er, say what?"

Neji looked positively vexed.

- _for him_ -

He isn't used to this, or rather, being like this. While not a very straightforward person, he is not one to beat around the bush when expressing himself, unless necessary. He is generally composed and not one to blunder with words and cave into pressure, and it really isn't him to say 'letustrytohaveababythen.' It is simply idiotic. If he is his normal self, he would have clobbered himself before uttering his request in the most tactless manner he could think of.

But he is not normal now, apparently, and all the things he had planned and done backfired on him. Not really, but he feels that way. Couldn't things have gone easier? He isn't used to dealing with these... matters, and it is his first time facing, er, sex full-on - no, not sex, actually, but the whole thing. The still impending first time means a lot to him, and probably more to her, and ironically when he is really planning things through and putting his whole mind into it things turn out difficult in the end.

However, no matter how strong the temptation of backing out is, he would not give in. He is the man; he should take responsibility of making Tenten his wife.

He finally looked Tenten in the eye, admiring the openness in the amber irises that would only be there if she is with someone whom she trusts. He has no room to doubt her, and himself, and their bond.

"You remember what happened to us a week ago, right? I- I reflected on that night and I think- I think we are ready. We postponed it enough, and I think we had the time to get used to this relationship, and we are old enough, responsible enough, we are prepared. If you disagree - "

"Uh no. Not at all. I myself have been thinking that."

"Oh... yes, yes, yes? That- that simplifies things, by a great deal. So, would you like to go with me to the Hyuuga estate next week? Not just to inspect the property, but also, also- let us consummate our marriage. Is that alright with you?"

The silence that followed is the longest, most uncomfortable one he had endured in his life so far.

"May you answer a question of mine please, before I answer yours?"

"Okay, go ahead."

"Why next week?"

"Ah, that. I am embarrassed to admit it, and I may only say it once: it is for our convenience. Surely you noticed the change in atmosphere between us since that night? I'm afraid... that we can't go back to what we were before. The only way to continue for us is forward, and I couldn't tolerate being awkward this way with you anymore. One of the things I cherish most between us is the peace... it is something I want to belong to and always have between us. Next week is... it took me a week since that night to finally communicate my thoughts, these thoughts, with you and next week is the soonest time I could find for us."

"Is that why you went somewhere else after training? To find the time?"

"Yes."

"And what about the training?"

"I want you to remember that once you are with child, you won't be able to proceed with it the way you are used to. Your career as a kunoichi is important to you and I don't want you to have any half-hearted decisions."

"The date?"

"We should date first before anything else more intimate, I think."

"Archaic."

"Say what you want. And you're cheating. I thought only one question...?"

"Yes, I want to go with you."

Somehow, this 'yes' is 'greater' than her 'yes' to the marriage proposal. He almost blushed and laughed out in relief. And he seldom laughs, so that is saying something. Tenten is smiling shyly too, and she is almost never shy. It is a new step for them.

"You won't regret anything? How about your career?"

"No, I'm sure about it. I can still go back to being a kunoichi, right? And we can't go on being self-centered... we have to raise the next generation, too, and don't interrupt - I kinda like to have a family of my own, now. I'm not agreeing only out of responsibilities."

"Thank you."

He couldn't thank her enough. She has done so much goodness in his life, much more than he expected to experience. Lee is right: he has an excellent woman as his wife - and he is finally starting to understand how personal happiness feels, with her.

- . -

"Temari, help me."

Said person looked up alarmingly from the book she is reading, instantly ready to rescue a friend, wondering why she did not feel a large presence of chakra or even wind distortion that is usually present in emergencies. Although not totally unexpected, she is still surprised to meet not an apparent emergency but rather a restless Tenten.

"What?"

It is interesting to know what got the younger woman asking help for, as she rarely does so outside missions. Depending on her response, she may finally have a material to blackmail her with, to call it quits between them.

"What did you wear during your first time?" Tenten blurted out, immediately causing her to relocate themselves to a more secluded area of the cafe. She has a gut feeling that privacy is needed for the rest of their conversation.

"First time?" she whispered, hoping that her friend would get a clue to lower her voice.

"Having sex."

Thank goodness she foresaw this. Temari surveyed the vicinity, making sure that they are not being overheard, before deciding to reply.

"Are you pulling a blackmail on me?"

"Ah no, no. I'm merely asking for advice."

"If it's about sex, go to Anko-san-"

"But she would laugh at me again, and what I want is help, not ridicule."

"Isn't that exaggerating the teasing a bit?"

"Oh well. But it is you who I need, I need someone who is taking it as seriously as I do-"

"Do we come across as serious?"

"You and I both know that you two aren't just playing around."

Oh, at times like these Temari wishes they were more composed that day; then Tenten wouldn't have found out about the real score in their relationship. Ever since then, the young woman has been trying to persuade them to get hitched, which is a bit annoying at times. They are thankful, though, that Tenten knows how to keep secrets.

"Fine, I'll answer your questions. I'll be frank and honest with you and I expect you to be the same."

"Okay. I will admit it only to you, Temari, so keep it a secret for me. Else, I will blackmail you."

Tenten gave her a searching stare, as if finding out if she is indeed worthy to be told a secret. She is satisfied, apparently, as she confessed with a steaming, embarrassed aura,

"Neji and I haven't consummated our marriage and I'm a virgin. We are going to do it soon, yet I still don't know what to do and what I could prepare for. Please help me, Temari. I know you can. Atleast tell me what is appropriate to wear..."

_Oh shit_, Temari thought,_ I just turned into a sex consultant_.

And from this point onwards, since this fateful day whence Tenten found Temari in Konoha and the latter gave in to the former's information extraction, the kunoichi of Suna became the weapons mistress' first sex advisor. It is Tenten's good fortune, unbeknowst to her, that the woman she chose to open her closet to is someone who knows how to turn on men without going to drastic measures. She would be thankful of it when the second sex adviser comes around.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This is the only chapter so far that I published without going through the entire content in one sitting. The last segment is a bit of a bonus scene since I want to show the main characters interacting with others. I'm thinking of creating a subpairing soon, although I would probably be able to refrain from naming the guy if I so wished. Frankly, I'm afraid to add a subpairing since it may irk the supporters of rival pairings who also happen to love NejiTen. But... I think it would make the story more interesting, so I'm at a conflict here. I don't like this chapter much, and I don't think I justified their characters well enough, but I want to move on to the next chapter... Next chapter would be out probably in December.


	9. Chapter 8: First

**Chapter 8: First**

- _for her_ -

It is a feeling one may get when suddenly asked to conquer a fear that was non-existent, but suddenly came to be. It is like climbing a high place and suddenly finding out that you can't go down, or getting ready for a performance and suddenly forgetting what should first be said or done. She knows because she has experienced it countless times before; the feeling of uncertainty.

She has gotten used to the feeling but it doesn't make it a tad more pleasant - it is something she has no choice but to experience in order to move forward. Try as she might, she couldn't get rid of it now, even after all she went through in life. She bit her lip, recognizing the familiar feeling creeping up on her...

A tingling sensation crawls just beneath her skin, making her much more sensitive to the little changes around her. She could feel the warm air against her face, the soft texture of her undershirt, the firm sole of her sandals at her feet, but the only thing she could register is the coldness at the pit of her stomach. The incessant spread of numbness within paralyzes the impressions of everything around her into a still image she could hardly notice - she is breathing and walking and moving but she isn't aware of doing those. She is thinking while not thinking; her heart is thumping irregularly but is somehow non-existent; she is seeing the surroundings but she is not really seeing them; dread, excitement, anticipation... emotions and feelings are filling her up but she can't be filled - the coldness inside her is a void that cannot be occupied.

The one thing that she could do, as what she had done all the other times, is to keep on going... if she couldn't, ingrained activities - via muscle reflex or body memory - would make her do so. She is Tenten and she would move forward, like all times, and continue growing everyday. Today is no exception, although it is a different growth she is aiming for now.

"There it is." Neji's voice broke the silence, and suddenly she is aware of standing in a different place.

Estates surround the perimeter, with charming gardens and two-tier traditional houses viewable beyond impressive gates. A hard stone road leads to the magnificent residences while a cheaper, but still luxurious material diverges to a town beyond with smaller, nevertheless beautiful, homes. The path they are taking, though, is not towards the town; rather, in the direction of a high-walled estate sitting on a gentle slope, a small part of the house just visible among a flourishing bed of flora.

Tenten almost forgot her feelings when her dear husband confirmed that yes, it is the estate Hiashi is so keen on giving them.

Hyuugas, she learned, are not only well-off - they are ridiculously rich.

- _for him_ -

Appetizer, check. Main dish, check. Side dish, check. Dessert, check. Drinks, check.

Neji Hyuuga, in his full chef-mode, nodded to himself satisfactorily as he inspected the dinner he prepared. He had asked Tenten's father for the recipe she likes best and thankfully it turned out well, despite his first time trying it. He usually doesn't pay much attention to food, content on merely avoiding an empty stomach and getting enough energy for the day, but today is an exception. He can't allow any possible failure, not now, even if it is just food.

Somehow, Neji mused, he had come to think of this property inspection as a challenge. It is a time for them to be alone with no chance to be disturbed or interrupted and, in his opinion, this is the perfect chance for them cut their chase and just head for the goal. He would not forgive himself if he let this pass him by; he had promised Tenten and himself that they are going to move forward and he would not back down even if he could barely keep his composure.

Talking about composure, he is losing it these days. Ever since that night when they nearly did it all the way, he has been having internal struggles about thoughts he would not have had before then. As this excursion drew nearer, he was finding it more difficult to resist the temptation to just do it all the way with her; it is like having a favorite thing held up right before one's eyes but one cannot have it before the right time, and to make it worse an alluring sample of it was given a weeks prior.

Neji clenched his fist, unable to keep the frustration bottled up anymore. To be able to act like the Neji who knows naught about sex, to be able to unsee Tenten as woman, to be able to disregard that warmth... it is too much, even for him. He wants her, he desires her. She made him experience perspective of human existence he had never dwelt on before.

He is afraid that he would lose his sanity if he would not be able to unite with Tenten, to feel that completion.

He exhaled sharply, then breathed deeply. He must remain calm, and face his issues properly. Getting frustrated would not get him anywhere. Getting nervous wouldn't result to much either. He would not let anything ruin this evening; for himself and for her. Even if they are new to this, even if they are not used to this, they would take this challenge and learn from it. That is how their partnership works.

He took off his apron, inspected the table one more time, and stepped out of the room to call his wife for dinner.

- . -

They were halfway through the main dish when he realized that he had planned no conversation topic. He said nothing, enduring the expectant glances from Tenten, and was finishing his side dish when she apparently decided that he wouldn't do something about it, that the silence that seemed to be incessantly growing since they sat down for food needs to be broken.

Tenten sighed quietly to herself before throwing her embarrassment out of the window. Her friend - her husband - is a more straightforward person than many thought him to be. He is surprisingly honest and awkward once he is acting more as a man than a ninja, and in her opinion it makes him fairly adorable. He is nearly reaching Sai's level of being an amateur in certain social fields and human interactions, but of course, without bordering on annoying.

And here she goes, for Neji's sake, assuming that everything would go fine with the night and pretending that she herself isn't feeling anxious and uncertain. Guess all those years of schooling her feelings paid off.

"Say, Neji, what do newly-weds talk about before their first night?"

The food nearly missed his mouth. He looked at her, shocked hearing his mind spoken out loud, before replying with a frown. It is frightening to get the impression of being mind-read, more so for a ninja.

"How would I know that?"

"I just thought you might have an idea."

A brief break as Neji passed Tenten the dessert, inadvertently brushing fingers. Later, maybe, they would be brushing more than fingers... skin-on-skin, breathes mingling, pressure on all the right places... it is an image that is surprisingly pleasant, even factoring in the sweat that would have normally made close contact disgusting to some degree.

"Say, Neji, do you have something to do after dinner?" Tenten asked, avoiding his eyes with a renewed bout of shame. Sometimes it sucks being born with an active imagination.

"Clean up, I suppose."

"Ah... so we are going to do it tonight."

"What?"

The response was low but there is no question that he heard it.

"Sex."

Neji almost dropped a piece of mantou on his lap, expecting the topic to come later, not sooner.

"What gave you that idea?"

Has Tenten seen through him despite his efforts? She has to be mind-reading him by now. Neji directed his full attention to her, using his natural perceptions to gauge her reaction.

"Well, you said you're going to take a bath. Someone said to me that it is usually the signal for 'let's have sex.'"

She is behaving like a blushing bride - with lowered eyes occasionally glancing at him and teeth biting lips in an innocent yet unexpectedly sexy fashion - and it is slowly driving them both crazy.

"Who told you that? I was going to clean up the table, Tenten."

"Oh."

Tenten is ashamed to have mistaken it, it seems like she is getting ahead of herself. It is mortifying if she came across as someone too eager for sex - did she sound like she is begging for it? Shit. She is starting to regret opening the conversation - she would have Neji pay for sending the wrong signals, definitely.

On the other side of the table, said man noticed the barely concealed horror-struck look on her face, finally gave in to his instinct, cleared his throat, and proposed with an air as casual as he could muster:

"But well... I was planning to do it today too, so if you'd like to..."

Tenten jumped at the chance to dig herself out of shame, startling Neji with the instant cheerfulness in her voice.

"Uh... yes, um, tonight it is. I'll go ahead and take a bath. You too, Neji."

She almost ran out of the room, embarrassed but strangely happy. They are both in it, in the nervous anticipation and uncertainty, and it is comforting to have settled that the one thing that is bringing out all of their awkwardness is going to be over by the end of the night. The elusive goal is finally in sight.

Neji, with his insides bubbling with a strange concoction of relief, anticipation and aftereffects of embarrassment, watched her contentedly before realizing where she is heading.

"Tenten, that is not the master bathroom-"

The door shut with finality. Neji could only sigh as he finished doing the dishes. This is Tenten who cannot keep her cool, who he hasn't seen in a while. Somehow, she is positively cute this way and having such an adorable wife, he further muses, is not a bad thing.

-_ for her _-

The gentle pressure of water on her back is refreshing; cooling her skin and awakening her senses. Now that the moment she has been both dreading and looking forward to is near she felt much more calmer, normal - the earlier nervousness and unnatural hype leaving her. Tonight, she would be uniting with Neji in the most intimate way possible - she would be much closer to him than what being teammates, partners, friends, and best friends could be. Somehow, she is glad that she would be able to know him in a way no other could. She would be a special, irreplaceable person and in a world so temporal there is nothing more comforting and gratifying. Their moment would be theirs and no one else's.

She threaded her fingers through her hair, wondering - at the back of her mind - how it would feel if Neji is the one doing it. Probably a bit ticklish and warm, like most of his touches are. She gently rinsed the soap from her body, massaging her skin in a way Temari taught her to, making sure that everything is clean without making her skin raw with friction. It is commonsense to be hygienic in sex, the blonde had told her, and it would be good to ease the muscles before then, which may add a certain glow to the skin and comfort to the intercourse. For first timers, it is advisable not to risk too much, particularly uncommon or extreme fetishes, and instead, just play things safe. When the Sand ninja found out that she hasn't experienced french yet, the last piece of advice was: do not attempt food play, blow job, and consequently, sixty-nine. "Trust me, the probability that you would gag is high and you wouldn't like it." The statement left Tenten wondering if Temari did attempt, or if she just knows. It is weird, thinking about a friend's sex life when hers is just around the corner.

Tenten closed the shower, scolding herself, and began patting her body dry. To shave or not to shave - she forgot to ask that. She looked at the razor she brought - just in case - and then down at her pubic hair. She dearly wish she had asked - it is ridiculous thinking about this now, deciding about this now - or back in the past, she shouldn't have searched porn and seen images of very bare pubic areas. She wondered if Neji thought (or is thinking) about pubic hair and the idea is almost laughable. Her knowledge on him assures her that he wouldn't care - although he would probably be startled at the absence of hair down there. Grinning to herself, Tenten decidedly chucked the razor away before turning to the garments on the counter-top with a more serious attitude.

Time to wear the lingerie.

- _for him_ -

Now that he has finished showering, Neji could not keep his nervousness inside anymore. He paced the bedroom, wondering how he should initiate the act - he should be the one initiating, definitely he should be - should he kiss Tenten immediately? Undress her? Undress himself? What should he say? What should he do first? He just turned the lights into a dim when the doorknob turned and Tenten entered... wearing only a short white yukata.

Neji smiled despite himself, feeling the tight muscles of his jaw reluctantly relax. To think that they both thought of wearing traditional clothing, it is almost as if they planned the whole thing. With his time to prepare over, he let his instincts, which are usually right anyway, take over. He sat on the bed and patted the space on his side.

"Are you ready, Tenten?"

She gave a brief nod before sitting beside him. She is clutching the skirt of her garment a little too tightly, a sign of nervousness. He took her hands, loosening them on his lap till they are intertwined with his, and noted the ring she is wearing. They had agreed not to let the public see the marriage symbol in consideration of their profession; and to see her wearing it again, after a long time, makes him feel a strange quality of happiness inside.

She fingered the ring he is wearing, the other half of hers, and whispered, "Neji, I'm nervous."

But still, she did not draw away when he experimentally placed a hand on her bare thigh. She merely looked at him, a small smile on her face, encouraging him to go on. She is nervous, but determined. Like him.

"I'm just the same. Just tell me if anything gets uncomfortable, alright?"

"Likewise."

He looked at her, fully, undoing all the boundaries and lines he had drawn long ago between them. Just acquaintances. Just teammates. Just training partners. Just friends. Just best friends. Tonight, she's more - she's his wife, his woman, his.

- _for her_ -

Neji turned to her, surveying her, his eyes slowly turning smoky, heated, hungry. He pulled her closer with an arm and kissed her, gently at first, then deliberately turning it more urgent as each second ticked by. His hunger is reminiscent of that night but, as his hot breath fanned against her lips and his mouth descended again to nibble her lip and suck it in an amazingly pleasant way, she could say that he is hungrier this time, and he won't be sated soon no matter what. She kissed him back, nibbling his lower lip in the same way he did hers, relishing in the softness of it. The hand on her thigh is now moving, creeping higher and higher till it is pushing back the skirt of her yukata, and as she transferred to his lap impatiently with a huff it finally settled, daringly in her opinion, to fully cup her bottom. He squeezed, and in return got his head yanked back as she tugged on his hair.

"Watch it, Neji." she warned, intent on keeping her husband off her underwear for the meantime. She wants to take it slow, there is no point rushing things during their first time and it may be good to experience some basic stuff before heading straight to the big event. Neji, who seemed to be on a roll, scowled at either her interference or maybe, the sudden pull on his hair.

"What do you expect? We're having sex."

But despite the downwards turn of his lips she could see amusement dancing in his eyes; prompting her to raise an eyebrow at the playfulness that seldom surfaced from the calm male.

"That's crude, you know, coming from you."

"Heh."

He dived down again, intending on capturing her lips, but failed as she dodged with a grin.

"What?" he grumbled, eyes not leaving her mouth.

She did not reply, at least not immediately, and instead grabbed the hand resting on her butt only to place it on the inside of her thighs. He made to move it outside, but she held on, pressing the hand tightly near her groin, the location allowing enough excitement without being too much.

"If you really meant what you said, know that I like your hand better where it is right now."

The words has already escaped her mouth before she realized that it is almost dirty talking, and recognizing the possible implications only served to increase the rapid beat of her heart. She is blushing profusely now, and him, and if they could see more clearly in the dim light their skin is almost red with the flush.

She sat very still on his lap, torn between horror and pride at her exponentially increasing boldness. She has just shifted to a more comfortable position when she noticed that her partner has frozen as well, his expression she can only guess to be a suggestion of one being lost in thought.

"Neji?"

He blinked once, his hand subconsciously drawing away before she slapped it back on her inner thigh.

"What?"

"Are we going to move on? You stopped."

He looked at her, almost thoughtfully, then shook his head.

"Oh right, sorry. And... don't talk too much. It kills the mood."

The smirk is back then, and it relaxes her somehow, seeing something familiar in the midst of the unfamiliarity.

"Right."

He kissed her again, but this time, he did not linger on her lips. He soon found her jaw, and neck, and shoulder. His hand, as she wished, remained on the inside of her thigh, unmoving, though the other is busy loosening the neckline of her clothes to reveal more skin. She is getting more and more exposed to the cool night air but her body feels like it is gradually being heated up. The saliva on her neck ought to make her feel disgusted, but instead, she didn't mind it. What is in her mind now, is how broad Neji's back has become, and how silky his hair is, and how talented his mouth has become since they first kissed a few months back.

She murmured encouragingly as he attacked a sensitive pulse, her fingers lightly scratching his back as a slightly ticklish, chilling, warming sensation overcame her nerves from that pleasurable spot. When a hand glided upward from her waist she could only release a small hiss; the warm pressure a delightful addition to the other, lighter, more ticklish one on her inner thigh that began moving dangerously, delectably, upwards as well. She tried to hold it in, but to her embarrassment, a moan slipped out as a hollow in her shoulder-blade is sucked, the hand previously gliding on her midsection reached her chest and tentatively gave her right breast a squeeze and the other on her thigh began tracing a pattern very, very near her groin.

She is, indeed, heating up as she felt a wetness pooling in her center for the second time that week. Her senses are in overdrive; desire is drugging her nerves and her judgment as she pushed herself tighter against Neji, trapping both of his hands between them. She pulled his head closer, her voice hoarse as she muttered against his ear, "do it again."

It may be her imagination that Neji stiffened up at that moment, but her mind too incoherent to bother, rapidly clouding as she began to yearn for more.

- _for him_ -

Neji's mind almost reached cloud nine as parts of her he had never felt before pressed against him intimately - it is slowly driving him crazy, the softness and firmness and planes and curves at all the right places he could think of. He was never the type to take interest in female bodies, never the one to be seduced or distracted by beguiling women, but when it comes to Tenten... he just couldn't ignore her, couldn't not be affected, more so when her body is too near and somehow familiar and he could remember how it felt so good to touch and smell and taste. Something about her just feels so right and, yes, so damn good despite his increasing uneasiness and discomfort and the Hyuuga in him is slightly unsettled at what exactly that something is that disorients him to this degree.

He had no time to dwell on the matter, however, as Tenten pulled him even closer, her warm mouth deliciously close to his ears as she muttered in the sexiest voice he ever heard, "do it again."

_Do what?_

And then he remembered what he just did, and where his hands are, and if he moved his left hand just a little bit he is certain he would be rubbing against that hot, moist area... and then he would be - wait.

Hot? Moist? Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck it. She _is_wet down there, Tenten is steaming down there. Page 10 of "The Ultimate Sex Techniques - Make your partner cream and scream" flashed in his mind (lubrication of the vagina, erection of nipples,... indicates...), and as he tried to remove his right hand between his chest and hers he became positive about it - Tenten is aroused.

Despite his will to stay in the moment, a sense of panic gripped him, surfacing from the back of his mind. Tenten is now physically ready - but what about him? He is not yet ready that way. What if - what if he couldn't get it up? What if something is wrong with him? He wants sex, he wants his wife, what is the matter now, though, when things are just going right? Why is he not... getting hard?

"Tenten, I -"

No, hell would freeze over before he asks for help about this... or not. He would consummate his marriage with his wife tonight - it is a promise, and the additional benefits it would bring that no marriage certificate could do has been postponed enough - but if he could save face in this situation, he would really rather not ask Tenten's help as much as he could. Maybe, hopefully, he just needs another moment or two... and for the meantime, probably, he could keep her busy enough such that she wouldn't pick up on his predicament... For his own face, and sake, Neji forced his panic back and tried to relax.

"- I need my hands."

Tenten leaned away, giving his right hand just enough room to move, but now his left is definitely squished between their groins. Down there, there is nothing between them but her panties, his hand, the thin cloth of his kimono, and his own underwear which all constitutes to a mere three or four centimeters; and suddenly he understood just how logical the position of the penis and vagina is, and how much it is meant for them to fit. The heat, which was previously coursing throughout his body and almost dissipated at his panic, seemed to return full-force and concentrate on that point of contact while his unease increased twofold.

He ignored his discomfort, choosing to concentrate on the moment, and proceeded to massage her right breast, earning an appreciative sigh. The neckline of the yukata has completely opened up by this point, unable to maintain covering a chest that is being moved about, and Neji is finally treated to a view of two globes of flesh enclosed in a white lace bra. While he is not a fan of breasts, Neji, despite himself, could not help but admire the sight. He only saw Tenten a few times without a shirt and never at a close distance; thus he never knew that his longtime partner has a pair that looks so... plump.

He reached for her back, searching for the clasp, but the hand on _his_back suddenly flew to stop his venturing one.

"Not yet."

The glazed look on her face is saying otherwise but the grasp on his hand is firm, so he let the matter drop, for the moment anyway. She pushed her torso back against him, and kissed him - briefly but intensely, on the lips - before taking the whole upper part of his kimono off him in a motion so unexpectedly quick he almost missed it. The sudden drop in temperature is hardly noticeable for soon enough she is kissing and sucking on his jaw and neck; her hands roaming his chest, palms feeling up every movement and flex of his muscles, and he felt so ridiculously good and warm that his pulse isn't normal anymore and his breathing comes too shallow and ragged.

Her hips bucked against him and he nearly let out an involuntary groan. From his palm he could feel a certain slickness and from the back of his hand a soft pressure that is connected with his groin; and he realized that his problem had just been solved: he has, sometime during Tenten's attack, become aroused. The erection he is currently experiencing is not something he expected; as a male he naturally had ones before but those were different - he was always asleep at the process and would only wake up to a semi-soft, semi-hard state - now he could feel a pulse that is only getting stronger as the hardness against his hand increased. It is his first time experiencing such an... active erection.

His underwear, which used to feel loose, is becoming more and more constrictive as Tenten continued her assault, now focused on his shoulder. For a second, he felt something really hard graze his skin (teeth, perhaps?) but then a really wet appendage replaced it... damn, a tongue... she is actually licking him. Neji savored the new sensation a bit, but as he focused on it he felt a distinctive twitch down there and a slight bite of pain. There isn't enough room anymore, the pressure against his hand tells him, and he has to choose between removing his hand or moving Tenten away.

Of course, the hand is the one that has to go.

With some difficulty, he pulled his trapped hand, bypassing the tightness and tempting heat for it to remain on its spot. As a result he got the desired space for his manhood's sake, but Tenten she... she completely did not expect his action, causing her to lose her comfortable spot on his lap. The hands on his chest has gone back to his back as she prevented herself from falling and the warmth on his anterior is suddenly replaced by an unwelcome coolness.

He frowned to himself, missing the closeness, and nudged Tenten snuggly against him. Yes, it is better this way, to be this close, with one less barrier between them. He leaned, intent on giving a kiss again - how he missed those lips - only to be met by a disgruntled expression.

"What was that for? I nearly fell."

True enough, she is not in a mood as good as what he's in.

"Sorry, I just -"

"Just don't do it again."

She gave a sigh, settling herself into a more comfortable position.

"...Better. I'm okay now, Neji, let's continue -" she stopped herself, suddenly frowning, and rearranged herself once more on his lap. "Neji, there's something off -"

He could only grit his teeth to avoid noises from coming out. Tenten is killing him down there - oh, the friction - and she has no clue how much murder she is doing on his nervous system.

"Tenten," he said, breath coming short and quick and heavy, "do I have to tell you what is 'off'?"

He pressed her closer against him, against his erection, and noticed her inhale sharply with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. She is affected by his arousal, he could feel it; the heat coming from her intensified, and the increased moistness has created a slight wetness on his kimono. But the smugness he had from her reaction soon backfired as his body responded in kind, the urge to thrust becoming stronger, invading his mind, and against his will and to his horror, he did thrust, his erection burrowing mildly into her clothed vagina.

It is so nice and warm and soft and pleasurable and he couldn't stop himself from thrusting again.

- _for her_ -

She froze as she felt something hard and soft pressing against her that wasn't there before. Just to make sure, she moved again, finding the spot she was in before he removed his hand and still, felt the thing against her.

"Neji, there's something off -" she began to ask, but was cut off when he leaned just so his mouth is against her ear, the way he breathes strangely exciting and hot.

"Tenten," he said, seductively, sexily, "do I have to tell you what is 'off'?"

And she felt it, again, the hardness and softness against her core, and judging from its location, she finally realized... what it is. She sucked in a breath, not knowing what to say, and how to react, but her body saved her from further thoughts as she found his excitement exciting and a new wave of wetness flowed within her. She wants to... she wants to rub herself against him...

But he did so before she could and it was a pleasure much more intense than any she felt before. Then he is thrusting against her, again, his erection pushing into her clothed area - so hot, so exciting - and then she is thrusting back and there is only delicious friction and tingling nerves as they - what is it again? Oh, right - dry-humped each other.

It is a wild feeling, like an animal, moving her hips in such a needy, seeking, way. Without Neji she would be embarrassed to do it, but it feels so nice and she could hardly help but rock her hips forward repeatedly. The pleasure, which started low in her stomach, is now building up within her and in an effort to cater more to it she increased her pace, her knees uncomfortable from the friction with the bed and the long time it has been kept folded but it is nothing in exchange for the sensation she is reeling with.

She pushed again, harder still - and suddenly she is falling, falling forward.

- _for him_ -

They fell on the bed from too much excitement, he guessed, but that was actually better for him, at least. At the rate Tenten was going, he was honestly afraid that he wouldn't last long enough to, er, ejaculate inside her, and it would be a serious failure for their first time - they are, after all, aiming for not only consummation but also a possible conception, and in his opinion every chance to create a child should be seized, from their first time onwards. He does not trust that he would be able to go for another round this night, especially since he just got off missions, his stress level not yet settled, and being a beginner he has no knowledge about how far his sexual endurance could extend.

He could already feel his member throbbing with anticipation and he knows that he has limited time - soon enough his body would naturally eject semen, and that would be it for their first attempt.

He would not let that be, though.

Using his weight, Neji reversed their position and now Tenten is beneath him, eyes glazed and breathless still from their recently interrupted activity. Despite their not-so-gentle actions earlier, her yukata is yet to come undone, and since it has to go (no doubt, so that he could see things - and her - more clearly), he began tugging on the obi with as much patience as he could, loosening the knot on her back and hurriedly pulling away the fabric once he severed the ribbon (his patience left him then). He just finished unclasping her bra when the smell of something singeing reached him and he wildly looked around for the source, distracted, only to hear a light laughter beneath him.

There is a telltale burn near his abdomen, the fabric of his kimono still smoking, and Tenten is busy prying the cloth away with a devious smirk on her face.

"Did you really have to burn my belt?"

"The knot is stubborn," she replied, and as he refused to lift a hand to get the entire kimono off her fingers glowed red again, "and besides, you did slice my obi."

He gave in, and the cloth joined the slowly growing pile on the floor. Just to be fair, he carefully channeled his energy to his fingers and her yukata soon flew through the air, and they are in nothing more than their underwear.

He drew back, admiring the view and the laced white underwear on her. Tenten's arms flew to cover her torso, a blush adorning her cheeks.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, almost glaring at him. "Even if your skin is smoother than mine, and your hair silkier, I know that even you would find nothing wrong with me."

So she's nervous on how he would see her, and while he is nervous as well she doesn't know it - the temptation to tease her is suddenly too much.

"Well, I can't know for sure, unless I see all of you." he casually said, playfully inching towards her bra. She burrowed a bit further into the mattress, the unbelieving, incredulous look on her face almost laughable. "Kidding. I'm just committing the view to memory."

"Oh stop it, Neji. You are killing the mood with your queer behavior."

"Right, sorry."

He reached for her bra, seriously this time, not knowing why his pulse raced faster. Tenten helped him slip the straps off first, and he slowly took the garment away, careful to keep his eyes on the lacy material until he allowed it to fall on the floor as well. His eyes zoomed back on Tenten, taking in her naked torso for the first time.

Her breasts are fascinating, in a way, since he never saw a naked pair before. It is tempting to touch the round mounds, to test if they are as soft as they look, and to find out if there is something special about the differently-colored circle at the peaks. He looked at Tenten in the face, and she seemed to understand his unvoiced question, guiding his hands to her breasts.

He enveloped the warm flesh and started moving them, gently, noting that indeed it is as soft as he thought it to be. He busied himself massaging the area but then Tenten started to gasp and buckle and arch and his member throbbed again, reminding him of his erection. His eyes moved down and focused on her panties instead, and he regretfully removed himself from the softness up north.

He placed his hands on both sides of her hips and slowly slid the garment down, gulping as each new centimeter of flesh is revealed.

His reaction, in finally seeing all of Tenten, is a definite indecision if a vagina is to be regarded beautiful or not and what else to think about it, with the amount of attention thousands of it receive everyday. But with Tenten's right in front of him, he guessed it would be inappropriate to continue his random puzzlement and harder to stall the penetration that he has been craving.

- _for her_ -

Neji is just too damn embarrassing sometimes, or rather, what he does is too damn embarrassing sometimes. It wouldn't hurt him to just take away her underwear without looking at her like that first, like he is, indeed, burning the image of her body in his mind, would it? She helped him get the straps of her bra off so he wouldn't have the chance to lean back again and stare, but then when he finally removed the article he did not move on to her panties like she wanted to and stared, yet again, at her (breasts, this time).

She finds it annoying that even if she's annoyed at his staring, her body is heating up from the weight of his gaze.

Then her breasts are being fondled, and she hasn't got a clue still why she provoked him to do it. It is unexpectedly nice, being touched there by another person, and nicer whenever her nipples are lightly grazed, but when she just started enjoying herself Neji stopped, again, and resumed his embarrassing stare.

Her panties are almost off when she fully realized that he has moved again and she could only sit her mortification out as she felt his gaze finally land on her most private area. Staring wasn't enough this time, though, as without an invitation she felt him touch her down there, his fingers lightly tracing the folds of her sex, making her tremble with the smallest contact. For a brief moment she could even swear that his breath ghosted against her though thankfully, thankfully, he finally stopped whatever he is doing and surfaced to her line of vision.

"Look at me." he said, before standing by the bed. His skin is a faint pink all over, and she is saved from wondering why as his fingers slipped at the waistband of his boxers and he began taking it off.

She watched in morbid fascination as his most private area is revealed to her, and if they are not going to have sex that night she would've covered her face to prevent seeing Neji... in a way she tried so hard not to see him.

She really tried not to, really, but her eyes kept going back to his privates, which looks similar to the illustrations in the books she have read, only more flushed and strange - like a red, pulsating rod - and to see it projecting, hanging, from a relatively flat body of a male is weird, in her opinion.

Neji crawled back on the bed and hovered above her, an arm on each side of her head.

"What position do you prefer?"

She groaned at his question, shooting him a disbelieving look. Does he really need to ask?

"How should I know? It's my first time, damnit!"

"You may have an idea from the books."

"Goodness, Neji -" oh, he is serious. She frantically searched her mind, and settled on the first one she knew. "Fine! From the basics then, missionary."

He nodded once and nudged her legs apart, repositioning himself between them. He leaned so that they are closer - Tenten could feel his erratic breathing as their chests touched.

Being beneath him, naked, with her legs apart and open is so vulnerable; but since it is the person she trusts more that is so near she may afford not to mind.

"Now?" Neji asked above her, and she realized that he has been trembling for awhile already. The tip of his erect organ touched her and she understood, with a little bit of pity for her husband, that he must have been repressing himself.

She put her arms around him and tried to relax, preparing herself for the penetration.

"Now."

He moved, slowly, his tip grazing the lips of her nether region. At one point he paused and experimentally rolled his hips a bit more forward, but it did not feel right for both of them and he repositioned himself once more.

"Why don't you use your byakugan?" she suggested, getting a bit impatient. She understands that it may take some time to find the right 'slot' but she is starting to dry up and Temari swore that it hurts having sex 'in a desert-like condition'.

Neji, thankfully, obliged without argument and after he shifted a little bit to the right and a slight rock of hips they are finally certain of their positions. He pushed forward a bit further and she felt his tip burrow into her, body heating up - if possibly, more - in anticipation. Neji moved again, his member now deeper into her, and he drew back and pushed again, further and further each time, until with a groan Tenten felt herself stretched and strangely full.

Neji thrust into her a few more times before she started moving as well, helping create a delicious friction between hot, sweaty, needy bodies; whimpering and moaning when a sensitive spot is hit, a coil forming at the pit of her stomach and tightening at each penetration.

She moaned her husband's name, breathlessly so, fingernails raking his back in an attempt to communicate the pleasure she is receiving. The muscles beneath her hands are taut, the breath on her ear coming out in pants and she could occasionally hear a groan as she is being pounded on continuously; the thrusts coming quicker till she could sense even the bed move with their motions, creaking and banging slightly against the wall, the mattress producing an odd, squeaky sound all the while.

The erect organ inside her grew even more tense, harder, and now Neji is swearing under his breath, eyes closed and brows together, thrusts coming even quicker while becoming more uneven, and all of this combined makes her feel unbelievable good, the coil inside her so tightly wound up that it has become a bit painful - but a lot more pleasurable -

Neji twitched inside her, the tip became very rigid and the rest too tense, then he bucked, repeatedly - a hoarse groan escaping his lips - and a warm liquid filled her up. The thrusts have stopped and Tenten felt sticky, heavy, and tired, the coil in her stomach still wound tight but at the lack of action slowly, gradually, lets up.

She allowed Neji a few more minutes on top of her, relishing in his warm weight while trying not to focus on the organ that is slowly receding inside her and the sticky liquid dripping on her thighs.

They just had their first sex, their marriage fully consummated. She does not regret that they did it this way, this night, and is thankful that they postponed it, allowing them time to prepare and know what to expect.

She played with Neji's hair, now damp on his back, and contentedly let her breathing fall in sync with his. She discovered new things about him tonight, like how he could be sure and then unsure in seconds, how easily awkward he could become, and how he could also be teasing and playful in bed (and that he, indeed, does not care if she does not shave) - and it makes her really happy.

- . -

It is half past midnight and Neji and Tenten are drowsing on the futon, having decided not to sleep on the bed after soaking it with sweat and a little bit more. Tenten is fiddling with her damp hair - having got out of the shower a mere quarter of an hour ago - and is comfortably tucked under a comforter in her pajamas when she suddenly thought of something. She sat straight up, eyes wide, not believing how careless and idiotic she was.

She looked at Neji, who is gazing outside the window with half-lidded eyes, and debated on whether to tell him or not.

He absentmindedly caressed her ring finger and she knew she couldn't keep it away from him.

"Neji," she began, heart thumping wildly in fear of getting him mad, "I forgot something earlier."

He turned to her, a relaxed smile on his face, urging her to go on.

"Neji, I - I - I forgot _not_to be in contraceptives."

Awkward silence.

Neji sighed. He knew from Hinata and Hanabi that it is common practice for kunoichi to be in contraceptives, and Tenten wouldn't be an exception. He, too, forgot about it and felt that he has no right to tell his wife off for it.

"Well, just don't forget about it next time then."

Tenten slid back in between the sheets, relieved.

"I love you, Neji."

And sleep took over very soon.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This didn't turn out the exact way I wanted and I am both proud and ashamed of it. Not lemony enough in my opinion, more on descriptive, but I really, really wanted to put up something like this for so long (some sex scene which isn't that ideal but not bad either). It is extra long but don't be too used to this length since it is a special 'first time' chapter, after all. Someone did suggest that I get a beta and I am seriously thinking about it, the tenses are a nightmare for me in this long chapter. Please point out anything wrong you may spot with the grammar/tense and I will fix it as soon as possible. Just to notify you guys, I will be busy for the next three months so I probably won't write anything new till then.


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